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Original poster

“Possible evidence of big cat in wild in new clearest picture”

150 replies

Soubriquet · 14/08/2023 14:29

If this isn’t photoshopped, then I would say this is 100% a big cat.

They are obviously thriving in the wild and do not need to be culled or moved into a zoo

Link

'Clearest ever' picture could prove big cats are prowling the UK countryside

The photo was discovered in the files of a zoology organisation.

https://metro.co.uk/2023/08/14/clearest-ever-picture-could-prove-big-cats-are-prowling-the-uk-19328969/?ito=facebook%7Csocial%7Cmetroukfacebook&fbclid=IwAR17mJLEpiEqM8rh_FfkmQ4qgmsevC3a7wQwJRPcS1dvJZpY9mYssqiqnSM#google_vignette

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YourNameGoesHere · 14/08/2023 15:52

HennyPenny1234 · 14/08/2023 15:46

Not sure why so many people struggle to get their heads around the possibility that big cats could be living wild in the UK

When the laws surrounding keeping big cats were changed a lot of people simply released them into the wild instead of having them put down

Also, if a big cat escapes from a zoo it's not even a requirement to inform the relevant authorities

I read only a few months ago that a hair found on a wire fence in the UK was confirmed to be that of a Panther

Anybody would think we're talking about Bigfoot or Nessy

We know big cats exist, we know they live in this country. We know they were released by private collectors and we know that they could have escaped from a zoo

I don't believe there were never any big cats of course there were especially as you say after it became illegal to own them and people released them into the wild. However, those changes in the law happened in the late 70s early 80's. Big cats life spans don't exceed 20 years and there simply wouldn't be enough around to breed therefore as a result I don't believe we now have any big cats in the wild in the UK.

LesbianNaan · 14/08/2023 15:54

I saw one as a teenager, as did many people in the area. That was about 30+ years ago.
Farmers in the area had livestock taken. Someone found remains of a sheep up a tree.
By all accounts they have a huge territory, wander far, and are very secretive.

Like a pp said, it’s not a mythical creature.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 14/08/2023 15:55

The idea that a photo found in a folder with no evidence as to the location or source constitutes startling new evidence is absolutely insane.

I don’t think a small population is impossible but this is worth zero as evidence. Even if it’s a real photo and British wildlife it could be in a zoo enclosure ffs.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Other pets & animals
megletthesecond · 14/08/2023 15:57

It's clearly photoshopped!

QuestionableMouse · 14/08/2023 15:57

Lucanus · 14/08/2023 14:45

I have no idea why people continue to believe this nonsense. There are quite obviously not populations of big cats lurking in the British countryside. If there were, signs would be obvious and there would be way more photos & videos since pretty much everyone carries a smartphone.

I saw one about seven years ago. Walked right across a disused railway track about 20m in front of me. Didn't get a pic because I was pretty freaked out and had my hands full controlling me dog. Was much bigger than my large JRT, deffo not a housecat. There have been other sightings in that area too.

Busubaba · 14/08/2023 15:58

The Essex Lion story nearly killed me because I laughed so much at the people being interviewed.

It was comedy gold.

Oakbeam · 14/08/2023 16:00

When the laws surrounding keeping big cats were changed a lot of people simply released them into the wild

The laws were introduced in 1976. Any released animals would be very long in the tooth by now.

However, I saw panther in Scotland about 30 years ago. So did the man I was with. The week before, the village drunk had also claimed to have seen one, but nobody believed him.

aslander · 14/08/2023 16:05

HennyPenny1234 · 14/08/2023 15:46

Not sure why so many people struggle to get their heads around the possibility that big cats could be living wild in the UK

When the laws surrounding keeping big cats were changed a lot of people simply released them into the wild instead of having them put down

Also, if a big cat escapes from a zoo it's not even a requirement to inform the relevant authorities

I read only a few months ago that a hair found on a wire fence in the UK was confirmed to be that of a Panther

Anybody would think we're talking about Bigfoot or Nessy

We know big cats exist, we know they live in this country. We know they were released by private collectors and we know that they could have escaped from a zoo

Totally agree. My no nonsense farmer dad saw one around 20 years ago, adamant in what he saw but never reported the sighting. I suspect farmers see them most frequently but perhaps are the types of people not to report.

I think there is a small panther population in the UK, with large territories so likely multiple sightings of the same animal. Plenty of sheep, deer to thrive on and enough hedgerows/woodlands etc to stay out of sight

Flickersy · 14/08/2023 16:15

Jennygosoftly · 14/08/2023 16:11

The 'Wolds Panther' is well-known in Lincolnshire

https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/big-cat-spotted-in-village-9213319/

That is quite obviously a domestic cat, given the scale.

Polis · 14/08/2023 16:16

It's clearly photoshopped!

Again, why would it need to be? It's not as if it is sitting in Trafalgar square or has Stonehenge in the background.

It's just a blurry photo of a large cat in some long grass.

Tdcp · 14/08/2023 16:18

Sorry but there is no way a big cat is prowling the countryside, let alone a bloody panther. For one they would be killing and eating livestock. Where are all the animal carcasses? A cat like that isn't living off bloody Sparrows.

Lucanus · 14/08/2023 16:20

@QuestionableMouse Bigger than a Jack Russell... must have been a big cat. Right.

@aslander Yes, some captive animals are said to have been released decades ago. No evidence for any wild population currently in the UK. The existence of an undetected breeding population is really not credible.

@Jennygosoftly That is very obviously about the size of a domestic cat, not even a particularly large one. Compare to the height of the tall grasses behind it.

Merapi · 14/08/2023 16:21

@Jennygosoftly That is definitely a big cat. But..... drumroll... it's a cat.

The Wolds Panther is a Wolds Moggy. 😂

theemmadilemma · 14/08/2023 16:27

Flickersy · 14/08/2023 14:50

First I would like to see proof that this was taken in Britain.

However, there are undoubtedly some big cats living wild in Britain, but they are unlikely to be breeding and establishing a population. If they were, we'd know it by know.

What we see is illegal exotic pets, abandoned by owners who can't handle them. They cannot survive indefinitely as they don't have sufficient prey. If they were regularly taking farm animals, there would be much more evidence. Some farm animals are taken, but they are few and far between.

This is why sightings are rare - they are isolated animals struggling to survive, not a breeding population.

As for "they are obviously thriving in the wild and do not need to be culled or moved into a zoo" - see above, and secondly of course they do. They are an alien species to the British ecosystem and do not belong in it.

This is generally the view taken by most on the documentary they're referring to.

Merapi · 14/08/2023 16:31

I don't think people realise just how big a big cat is. They are truly massive.

aslander · 14/08/2023 16:33

Lucanus · 14/08/2023 16:20

@QuestionableMouse Bigger than a Jack Russell... must have been a big cat. Right.

@aslander Yes, some captive animals are said to have been released decades ago. No evidence for any wild population currently in the UK. The existence of an undetected breeding population is really not credible.

@Jennygosoftly That is very obviously about the size of a domestic cat, not even a particularly large one. Compare to the height of the tall grasses behind it.

I think it's easy to say there's no evidence but other posters have mentioned DNA evidence and you can't get more compelling than that. I believe my dad whole heartedly, he's not the type of person to mess around.

The government will not want mass hysteria to ensue if they were to confirm that big cats are roaming the UK, so it's kept quiet as they aren't a major threat to people. The people who have credible sightings are laughed at in a similar vein to those who report UFOs and we know how that's recently been confirmed as true (I'm not saying aliens, but UFOs are real).

It's not outside the realms of possibility and plenty of independent witnesses up and down the country see them. Just my take on the matter

QuestionableMouse · 14/08/2023 16:36

Lucanus · 14/08/2023 16:20

@QuestionableMouse Bigger than a Jack Russell... must have been a big cat. Right.

@aslander Yes, some captive animals are said to have been released decades ago. No evidence for any wild population currently in the UK. The existence of an undetected breeding population is really not credible.

@Jennygosoftly That is very obviously about the size of a domestic cat, not even a particularly large one. Compare to the height of the tall grasses behind it.

Why so rude? I know what I saw - my JRT isn't one of the tiny ones, he's more Lab sized and the cat I saw was much bigger than him. He was also bloody scared of it and he's never once been scared of a normal cat!

Angrymum22 · 14/08/2023 16:37

There were multiple sightings of a big black ( panther) cat local to us some years ago. It made the local newspaper and one article was about a sighting made by a local barber who is known for his tall tales. To this day he is certain that he saw a panther.
We live in a very rural county mostly covered by woodland and farmland with ample opportunity for a big cat/cats to live happily without being noticed. And the story was based on fact. A close friend of my husband was asked by a local farmer to stalk and kill the cat. There was plenty of evidence it existed but the local farmers didn’t want the world and his wife attempting to flush it out.
It took a few weeks of patience but they managed to “sort the problem out”.
There were a number of unlicensed private collectors who couldn’t get licences so just let the animals go.
I have no reason to question this friend since it’s rare for him to divulge his activities. Unlike the local barber he is not a bullshitter. He also knows the problems it would caused if they had gone public with their activities.
It was not the first exotic animal that they had been asked to deal with.
The trouble is that they were killing livestock. But announcing that it had been shot would have created a whole new controversy.

Flickersy · 14/08/2023 16:40

aslander · 14/08/2023 16:33

I think it's easy to say there's no evidence but other posters have mentioned DNA evidence and you can't get more compelling than that. I believe my dad whole heartedly, he's not the type of person to mess around.

The government will not want mass hysteria to ensue if they were to confirm that big cats are roaming the UK, so it's kept quiet as they aren't a major threat to people. The people who have credible sightings are laughed at in a similar vein to those who report UFOs and we know how that's recently been confirmed as true (I'm not saying aliens, but UFOs are real).

It's not outside the realms of possibility and plenty of independent witnesses up and down the country see them. Just my take on the matter

Show quote history

There is evidence that a handful are / were present.

There is zero evidence of an established, sustainable breeding population.

Oakbeam · 14/08/2023 16:41

I don't think people realise just how big a big cat is. They are truly massive.

Some of the reported sightings are laughable. The East Yorks and Lincolnshire ones, for example.

For reference…

“Possible evidence of big cat in wild in new clearest picture”
Badbudgeter · 14/08/2023 16:43

I’m pretty sure I have, if not big cats, Scottish wildcats living next to me. I stay at the foot of the highlands and I’ve seen a couple on the hill behind us. Not a single rabbit in the garden this year when normally there’s loads nibbling my salad.

Angrymum22 · 14/08/2023 16:46

As for size panthers/jaguars and lynx are not that big. Jaguars are rarely seen in their natural rainforest/jungle habitat. They are very shy creatures.
We actually live near a safari park with a large number of breeding large cats. On a still evening you can hear the lions roaring from our house. In all the years I’ve lived here there has never been a breakout.

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