12:10pm Tuesday 3rd January 2012 in News
First there was the Beast of Bevendean - now we have the Beast of the Beacon.
A mother-of-two believes she spotted a lynx prowling along the roadside outside Ditchling village over the festive period.
Eileen Nutley said the creature she saw was too big to be a domestic cat but was too distinctly feline-looking to be a dog.
Experts said that big cat sightings were common around Ditchling Beacon although most witnesses described a panther-like creature rather than a lynx.
Mrs Nutley was driving home along Beacon Road, Ditchling, with her 32-year-old daughter Andrea Acton at about 6.30pm on the Tuesday before Christmas.
She said she was driving down Beacon Road towards Ditchling when she spotted a creature moving close to the roadside at the junction with Long Park Corner.
She said: “I spotted a creature coming towards the road, I can only describe it as a big cat.
“As we drove past, my daughter and I were both shocked and we both just said: ‘I think it was a lynx’.
“It definitely wasn’t a domestic cat, it was about the same size as a small Labrador but with pointed ears, grey coloured and a very feline face.
“I’m just sorry we didn’t have the chance to take a picture.”
Mrs Nutley said she had been speaking to villagers over Christmas in the hope that someone else might have spotted something.
She said that the landlord of the White Horse pub in Ditchling told her his dog had chased after an unusual looking creature on the Beacon a few weeks earlier.
Lynxes are medium-sized wildcats with short tails, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of their ears and a ruff under their necks.
Have you ever spotted a big cat in Sussex? Tell us by calling the newsdesk on 01273 544519, emailing letters@theargus.co.uk or commenting below.
If you have any news on this item please let us know by leaving a comment or email bcib@btopenworld.com Please report any sightings at http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/localreportform.htm If you wish to comment on any of the items please click the header of the story.
The Argus
First there was the Beast of Bevendean - now we have the Beast of the Beacon.
A mother-of-two believes she spotted a lynx prowling along the roadside outside Ditchling village over the festive period.
Eileen Nutley said the creature she saw was too big to be a domestic cat but was too distinctly feline-looking to be a dog.
Experts said that big cat sightings were common around Ditchling Beacon although most witnesses described a panther-like creature rather than a lynx.
Mrs Nutley was driving home along Beacon Road, Ditchling, with her 32-year-old daughter Andrea Acton at about 6.30pm on the Tuesday before Christmas.
She said she was driving down Beacon Road towards Ditchling when she spotted a creature moving close to the roadside at the junction with Long Park Corner.
She said: “I spotted a creature coming towards the road, I can only describe it as a big cat.
“As we drove past, my daughter and I were both shocked and we both just said: ‘I think it was a lynx’.
“It definitely wasn’t a domestic cat, it was about the same size as a small Labrador but with pointed ears, grey coloured and a very feline face.
“I’m just sorry we didn’t have the chance to take a picture.”
Mrs Nutley said she had been speaking to villagers over Christmas in the hope that someone else might have spotted something.
She said that the landlord of the White Horse pub in Ditchling told her his dog had chased after an unusual looking creature on the Beacon a few weeks earlier.
Lynxes are medium-sized wildcats with short tails, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of their ears and a ruff under their necks.
Have you ever spotted a big cat in Sussex? Tell us by calling the newsdesk on 01273 544519, emailing letters@theargus.co.uk or commenting below.
If you have any news on this item please let us know by leaving a comment or email bcib@btopenworld.com Please report any sightings at http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/localreportform.htm If you wish to comment on any of the items please click the header of the story.
2 comments:
The witness added to her description in a further statement stating that that the cat was of a gun-metal grey appearance and the tail was short,stubby,curved upwards in a crescent shape.....
Thanks Charlie
Post a Comment