Just run outside as heard a massive commotion, our cat hissing and screeching like I’ve never heard. He was under the car. I wandered around our drive (middle of Blackdown Hills surrounded by woods)down in a clearing about 25 yards away was sat a rather large animal, staring at me, while shining torch at it, it didn’t budge. Didn’t have the shape of a fox, nor the tail, more like a cat, but much much larger. OH looked through binoculars we keep next to the back door, couldn’t make out lots of detail, but confirmed not a fox and too large for a domestic cat. Now I am very sceptical about these sorts of things, but has anyone else had a similar experience of seeing one of these ‘big cats’ that are meant to roam around?

Not seen one, but, about 10 years ago 3 of us heard a growl quite close to us whilst on a night ride over Cannock Chase

*waves*

It was probably manbearpig. It’s half man, half bear, half pig.

I’m super cereal.

A giant perch?

Did its eyes reflect the torchlight in yellow or green

Might have been a traffic light ?

We do have lots of badgers, but was a lot taller when it sloped off. Not all bumbly like when a badger runs off.

Maine Coon? They are massive cats.

Probz a Leopard. There’s an argument for them living on council estates.

Could be the beast… https://youtu.be/W_xOfxY5n2U

Lynx? Maybe that one from Aberrystwth Borth has come over?

I remember the first time I went riding in Thetford, didn’t realise they had Muntjak deer.
I was bimbling along in a semi-vegetative state when it jumped out in front of me and woke me up !

Could be a lynx ..maybe they just didn’t mention it :-)..
But most probably The Beast ..
Talk of releasing some locally ..Lynx that is ..Im all for it
Most farmers around here are not ..

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/lynx-effect-case-against-reintroducing-13347564
It would certainly add a little more spice to riding in the forest even though they are very shy creatures ( apparently !)

Dog?

Got the bins….but not the camera ?

The bins were right next to the back door, so easiest to hand. I have ordered one of those wildlife cameras with night vision.

Going to have a look when I get home when still light, for signs of foot prints.

Maybe 10 years ago we saw a big cat in the field behind my mother in laws at East Keswick, North of Leeds.

Black, long and low; way to big to be a domestic cat, we were probably 150 metres away so had points of reference to gauge its size which was panther size.

Show me the shit!

panther size

…is the name of my new workout video.

With good reason perhaps???

http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/news/12129/escaped-lynx-kills-seven-sheep-a-stark-warning/

Perhaps ..however did anyone actually see the Lynx make the kills ..has it been re-captured / shot ?
I’m a little sceptical as this is a publication put out by an association who are dead against the re-introduction of this cat.
The area in which it occurred bears no resemblance whatsoever in terms of scale to Kielder Forest which covers 250 square miles..and a gross over population of roe deer..which is more of a natural food source than a sheep.
I understand the anxiety by farmers ..but in terms of benefiting the area as a whole just in terms of the tourist ” dollar” it has more pros than cons ..plus we are only talking about 5 Lynx in total which will be monitored by a radio collar and on a trial basis ..
Any problems with farmers livestock would be picked up very quickly .
As far as my opinion though ..Im in the minority as we are related to one of the biggest sheep farmers in the area..

This happened a few days ago, and because of the sensitivity has not been released until Post Mortem by independent bodies were able to confirm just what killed the animals.

Benhouldsworth – East Keswick is round my neck of the woods, was out riding there on friday. What you saw was probably one of the locals crawling home from the The Old Star pub as there is nothing else to do there..

Panther poo?
Panther fur?
Panther prints?
(Awaits Perchys comeback on these 😀 😀 )

Panther poo?

Most of my output on here

Panther fur?

An existential statement. Whit are any of us fur?

Panther prints?

The poorly received sequel to the Lion King

As an aside, physical evidence for the existence of the real and original Perchy Panther …..

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/panther-watch-claw-found-greenhead-2570382

😆

By co-incidence, there’ll be a program on the Exmoor Panther on Radio 4 next week (14 Nov).

My Maine coon is four feet from nose to tip of tail, and has been mistaken for some kind of “beast” around the village. He can put his front paws on my solar plexus with his back feet on the ground ( I’m 5’9”).

It was probably manbearpig. It’s half man, half bear, half pig.

No, I was working.

Now I am very sceptical about these sorts of things

Why? We’re not talking mythical beasts or aliens here. Big cats definitely exist, they are definitely in the country and they definitely escape occasionally.

The big cat expert from bristol that came and took print casts when my neighbour’s foal was killed said they have been breeding wild in the UK since Victorian times.
From the footprints he said it was a leopard or panther.
This was in south/mid Wales.
The lacerations down the mare’s flank were pretty sobering to see

Maine Coon? They are massive cats.

Someone has one local to us, and yes they are huge (long haired too which add size). The first time I saw it was at night, it was sat on a car roof watching me; gave me quite a fright.

Gorgeous creatures and not unlike a lynx to look at.

airtragic – Member
My Maine coon is four feet from nose to tip of tail, and has been mistaken for some kind of “beast” around the village. He can put his front paws on my solar plexus with his back feet on the ground ( I’m 5’9”).

I need to see pics of your large Maine coon … 😀

They are enormous! Never heard of that before it was mentioned here.

Should get my camera tomorrow, so hopefully spot the culprit. If not, I’ll start an STW winter watch.

mrwhyte – Member
They are enormous! Never heard of that before it was mentioned here.

I want one … 😆

I need to see pics of your large Maine coon

I’d be more concerned about what their secondary one looks like!

Yeah i’ve seen big cats, so have my parents. I was brought up in the wilds of argyll through the late 70’s/80’s, when i say wilds i mean 20 miles up a singletrack road in a very small forestry village. Driving home with parents one night from Oban a large dark cat appeared in the pickup headlights dragging a deer carcass across the road right in front of us, then ran away into the forest, we all very clearly saw it and my dad stopped and threw the deer in the back of the truck – got home and we all looked at the deer with it’s face/nose totally crushed in by the cat’s jaws and massive lacerations running down it’s side from it’s claws.

Very sobering (but also very exciting) to look at when you are a 10yr old.

My mum also saw the cat crossing the small hillside out in front of our house in Dalavich as well – as kids we used to head out into the forest with our air-guns, dogs and sheath knives thinking we could catch it 😀 (my trusty weihrauch HW80 and a webley tempest pistol – both absolutely **** all good against such a cat) but we never saw it again which is prob just as well for our sake.

I’m in absolutely no doubt what i saw that night, i’ve been ridiculed and called a fantasist by folk for maintaining my belief that they are out there but i’m not fussed.

Friends in Paris just got some sort of “tiger cat” supposedly they grow to weigh 12kg !

DickBarton – Member

I need to see pics of your large Maine coon

I’d be more concerned about what their secondary one looks like! [/quote] 😆

somafunk – Member
.. dad stopped and threw the deer in the back of the truck –

I feel sorry for the big cat. 😯