Western Morning News
15th February 2012
The British big cat situation remains steeped in mystery despite the thousands of sightings reported and recorded by people from all walks of life, in all parts of the country.
Reports of such animals go way back into history, some of which relate to times when menageries and travelling circuses were common. Escapes and releases must have occurred, some no doubt resulting in breeding in the wild and thus the appearance of the feral British big cat, or cats.
But it was in the early 1980s that public interest in these felines was rekindled, with the "Beast of Exmoor" becoming front page news as reports of numerous sheep kills suddenly appeared alongside sightings of ferocious predators, mostly cat-like, mostly black.
At the time, my own investigations and sightings convinced me the black cats were melanistic leopards, releases and escapes from captivity which naturally had to fend for themselves in the wild. However, reports such as "80 sheep in 90 days" – all from one area in the South West – were ludicrous and fuelled the fire of fears that people may be at risk.
Some people even suggest tourism might suffer if the public on holiday stayed away from the South West in case they were attacked by these so-called dangerous predators.
My own black leopard theory was generally mocked for a time and still is by some sceptics today, even though so many sightings of the animals are made in broad daylight by sensible folk, including farmers, who know very well what they are looking at. The "Dartmoor Big Cat" and the "Beast of Bodmin" soon followed.
The reality is that leopards, pumas, lynx and other such cats are out there and some have definitely bred in the wild.
While the mortality rate of cubs may be high, many not surviving to adulthood, some do and grow to help perpetuate the myths and legends that have grown from the reality.
Natural England, the Government's own nature organisation, still maintains that the evidence is inconclusive, but the police admit to sightings by some of their own officers. Not so long ago, they issued an estimate of county by county numbers of big cats in Britain.
One Devon sheep farmer phoned me regularly to say a female puma on his land had produced cubs in four years out of seven and he and his wife were not troubled by the cats, nor did they lose any sheep to them.
As well as seeing black leopards, also known as panthers, in North Devon and on Exmoor myself, and a mother with cubs, and sub-adults, I have also had puma sightings, once with a nature watching group I was leading, and also a sighting of a lynx, the latter upstream of Tarr Steps.
These cats are extremely wary of humans. Usually a sighting is of a cat rising and moving away from a disturbance – so rear-ends disappearing into vegetation is usual and photographs of this are not very convincing. And there are several hoaxers about, producing fake pictures. But at some stage the proof will be available for all to see. After all, a female puma was trapped in Scotland a few years ago and another was shot near Greenwich. Other smaller exotic cats have been shot, including swamp cats and leopard cats, the latter killed by a farmer on Dartmoor.
The black leopard is the animal I still intend to capture on film more clearly than I have done already. Having been shown red deer carcasses 12ft and 15ft up in forestry areas locally, one is reminded that these predators can spend a lot of their time in trees. And they are not huge as some reports suggest.
The leopard (Panthera pardus) varies in size, with its height at shoulder being anything between 18 inches and 30 inches. Males are larger than females, their head and body being 3ft 9in to 5ft 6in, with a tail of around 22in to 38in. The tail is thick and curved at the end. Weight is 35kg to 54 kg. Leopards may live to 23 years, males reaching maturity at two to three years, females at approximately two years.
There is plentiful prey in the wild for these big cats, with rabbits, pheasants, small mammals and, of course, roe and red deer. Our climate will not be a problem to them and there is an abundance of woodland and forestry plantations for cover.
Personally, I do not think they are or will be a problem. If you do come across one, leave well alone and move away. Do not bother it or attempt to corner it because that is asking for trouble. And do not shoot at them, a wounded big cat is bad news. Leave them be to live out their lives.
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.
15th February 2012
The British big cat situation remains steeped in mystery despite the thousands of sightings reported and recorded by people from all walks of life, in all parts of the country.
Reports of such animals go way back into history, some of which relate to times when menageries and travelling circuses were common. Escapes and releases must have occurred, some no doubt resulting in breeding in the wild and thus the appearance of the feral British big cat, or cats.
At the time, my own investigations and sightings convinced me the black cats were melanistic leopards, releases and escapes from captivity which naturally had to fend for themselves in the wild. However, reports such as "80 sheep in 90 days" – all from one area in the South West – were ludicrous and fuelled the fire of fears that people may be at risk.
Some people even suggest tourism might suffer if the public on holiday stayed away from the South West in case they were attacked by these so-called dangerous predators.
My own black leopard theory was generally mocked for a time and still is by some sceptics today, even though so many sightings of the animals are made in broad daylight by sensible folk, including farmers, who know very well what they are looking at. The "Dartmoor Big Cat" and the "Beast of Bodmin" soon followed.
The reality is that leopards, pumas, lynx and other such cats are out there and some have definitely bred in the wild.
While the mortality rate of cubs may be high, many not surviving to adulthood, some do and grow to help perpetuate the myths and legends that have grown from the reality.
Natural England, the Government's own nature organisation, still maintains that the evidence is inconclusive, but the police admit to sightings by some of their own officers. Not so long ago, they issued an estimate of county by county numbers of big cats in Britain.
One Devon sheep farmer phoned me regularly to say a female puma on his land had produced cubs in four years out of seven and he and his wife were not troubled by the cats, nor did they lose any sheep to them.
As well as seeing black leopards, also known as panthers, in North Devon and on Exmoor myself, and a mother with cubs, and sub-adults, I have also had puma sightings, once with a nature watching group I was leading, and also a sighting of a lynx, the latter upstream of Tarr Steps.
These cats are extremely wary of humans. Usually a sighting is of a cat rising and moving away from a disturbance – so rear-ends disappearing into vegetation is usual and photographs of this are not very convincing. And there are several hoaxers about, producing fake pictures. But at some stage the proof will be available for all to see. After all, a female puma was trapped in Scotland a few years ago and another was shot near Greenwich. Other smaller exotic cats have been shot, including swamp cats and leopard cats, the latter killed by a farmer on Dartmoor.
The black leopard is the animal I still intend to capture on film more clearly than I have done already. Having been shown red deer carcasses 12ft and 15ft up in forestry areas locally, one is reminded that these predators can spend a lot of their time in trees. And they are not huge as some reports suggest.
The leopard (Panthera pardus) varies in size, with its height at shoulder being anything between 18 inches and 30 inches. Males are larger than females, their head and body being 3ft 9in to 5ft 6in, with a tail of around 22in to 38in. The tail is thick and curved at the end. Weight is 35kg to 54 kg. Leopards may live to 23 years, males reaching maturity at two to three years, females at approximately two years.
There is plentiful prey in the wild for these big cats, with rabbits, pheasants, small mammals and, of course, roe and red deer. Our climate will not be a problem to them and there is an abundance of woodland and forestry plantations for cover.
Personally, I do not think they are or will be a problem. If you do come across one, leave well alone and move away. Do not bother it or attempt to corner it because that is asking for trouble. And do not shoot at them, a wounded big cat is bad news. Leave them be to live out their lives.
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.
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