To back up Dick Barton, I've seen and heard very odd things when I've been out riding with him as well.
My tuppence worth? Like the OP, I was riding down towards a gate on a trail above Bonnybridge (UFO capitol of the UK 1995), when I saw a large, smooth coated, black animal about the size of a labrador leap over the gate ahead of me. It was gone by the time I reached the gate 20-30 seconds later. This happened last summer and I'm pretty convinced that I just saw some shadows moving through the tree branches and my brain went "That'll be a Panther, a rinky-dink Panther!*"
*A Black one obvs, if it was Pink I'd have heard the car pulling away.
There is no evidence.
Previously I linked to an article about big cat DNA found on a carcass. It also refers to part of a big cat claw that was analysed.
Big cat hair found snagged on fences has also been DNA tested
DISCOVERWILDLIFE.COM
Big cat hair found snagged on fences has also been DNA tested
... by a laboratory which wants to remain anonymous. I'll bet you my bike that no-one knows where that sample is any more.
Assuming for the sake of argument that the story is true, where's the rest of the cat? Come to that, where are the other cats? We're supposed to believe that there's a big cat on the moors which has spontaneously appeared from who even knows where, on its own with no other cats around, which doesn't leave pawprints, never takes a shit (which is at least plausible I guess given that it's seemingly only ever eaten twice), and because... someone found some hair? Excuse me sorry, someone claims to have found some hair?
Who even does that anyway, "sheep's been bitten, best call in the film crew and get the DNA testing done!" Is that a normal thing for a farmer to do after a dog bite?
Alternatively, we've got a filmmaker making a film about big cat claims across the country... yeah, that's totally a reliable, unbiased source. Bored farmers and chancing film producers are how we got, respectively, crop circles and Derek Acorah.
That's exactly what cougar would want you to think, so he doesn't blow his cover
To back up Dick Barton, I've seen and heard very odd things when I've been out riding with him as well.
Of course, that's just partly the nature of doing what we do and where we do it, in places with dappled sunlight or shadows, etc. Several times I've been certain that I'm riding towards someone on a dark ride only for it to be a shadow, and a dogwalker turned out to be a runner with no dog but the dog was actually a trackside sign 20m further on. There used to be a dwarf that stood at the side of one of our local trails (a tree stump shaped like a very lifelike dwarf) and I was once stalked by an extremely bright UFO on a dog walk. It seemed to be in front of me in every direction - I could have sworn it was moving around ahead of me despite me knowing that it was Venus.
And then there are the weird or scary noises that things make. Shagging hedgehogs! A car going over a cattle grid down in the valley at night...
No livestock visible and the terrain after the forestry bit didn't really lend itself to livestock.
Would have had to be quite a number of squirrels unless it had a megaphone stuck to itls mouth (which could explain the raspy noise).
Also agree it was highly unlikely to be anything dangerous, but it was definitely odd and we weren't that keen on finding out what it could be.
I could have sworn it was moving around ahead of me despite me knowing that it was Venus.
Yeah I remember one time when I saw a panther stalking me. Luckily my decision to head home since I was completely spooked resulted in it not attacking. More accurately it was at the dark end of dusk and I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye. Most likely a bird but maybe a bat however my mind saw a threat and since I couldnt then identify it that only proved not only was it a threat but it was a sneaky one.
Whilst "sit spotting" I have seen a person emerged from the darkness only to become a tree. Our eyes/minds tend to default to paranoia on the grounds that historically it was generally a good idea to err on the side of caution about whether it is a big cat about to pounce vs a minutes embarrassment.
I have no doubt from time to time big(ish) cats have been released, eg last year, however I dont see them lasting long without being captured/killed unless someone put a lot of effort into preparing it for life in the wild/captured one living in the wild elsewhere.
I definitely wouldnt rule this out for Lynx given the history of sneaky reintroduction of beavers but I doubt it otherwise if only on the grounds of "reintroduction" would be doing a lot of work.
On a lighter note was out on a ride once and saw some really weird lights in the sky. Watched for a bit wondering what the **** it was. A google once I got home showed the local stately home had a fireworks exhibition which included some synchronous drones. The angle/distance I was looking at resulted in some truly weird shit.
On a lighter note was out on a ride once and saw some really weird lights in the sky. Watched for a bit wondering what the **** it was. A google once I got home showed the local stately home had a fireworks exhibition which included some synchronous drones. The angle/distance I was looking at resulted in some truly weird shit.
On a night ride (at Afan maybe?) a few years ago someone asked what that planet was. Jupiter, I replied and then said that it felt I was looking in the wrong direction for it to be a planet. As we puzzled over it, it became significantly brighter and then resolved itself into a helicopter heading straight towards us. Eventually we heard the rotors but it was a long enough period that if it had turned away then all we would have seen was a UFO! 😀
Yeah I remember one time when I saw a panther stalking me
Yeah, sorry about that.
It’s these new night vision goggles… just wanted to try them out.
I was fishing on the River Almond in West Lothian as a kid. So we're talking about 45yrs ago.
It was 5am on a Summer morning. I was wading in a stretch I knew really well about 100yds above a waterfall that fell into a big pool. There was a little shingle beach at the pool. I looked down and saw a cat come out on to the beach and come to the water and drink. It looked odd. Longer and lower than a domestic cat with a really long tail. It was a light brown colour like an American Cougar. It moved incredibly smoothly. It just didn't look right. It was next to a big rock so I noted where its shoulder came up to on the rock. Then it turned into the woods and was gone.
I waited a good 15mins then cautiously made my way down. I looked at the rock and figured the cat's shoulder had to be at about the height of a large dog's shoulder. Like a German Shepherd. There were no visible prints.
Never saw it again despite fishing there at dawn and dusk many times.
Of course, that's just partly the nature of doing what we do and where we do it, in places with dappled sunlight or shadows, etc. Several times I've been certain that I'm riding towards someone on a dark ride only for it to be a shadow, and a dogwalker turned out to be a runner with no dog but the dog was actually a trackside sign 20m further on. There used to be a dwarf that stood at the side of one of our local trails (a tree stump shaped like a very lifelike dwarf) and I was once stalked by an extremely bright UFO on a dog walk. It seemed to be in front of me in every direction - I could have sworn it was moving around ahead of me despite me knowing that it was Venus.
On a solo night ride, I remember being absolutely convinced that someone in high viz (i could see the reflectives shining in my lights) was hiding in the bushes and was going to try and jump me as I rode passed.
It was this
Sometimes we see what we want to see.
I am convinced most sightings are lurchers either stays or separated from owners. Unless you see a large lurcher move in the day I can see how you could easily mistake one for a "panther". They can easily hop over 5 bar gates etc and slink about in the shadows with long curved tails
Other time was up Ben Venue from the north
heard a rasping breathing noise in the trees.
We decided to chicken out and head back down the fire track...the breathing noise did follow us as we stopped about a minute later and it was there, to the side but a bit faster breathing
Jimmy Saville on a day trip from Glencoe?
Sounds more like Rolf Harris.
Sounds more like Rolf Harris.
Can ya tell what it is yet?
<wobbleboard, distant sound of thunder/>
Backs away from the bushes, carefully gets on bike and rides away quickly.
