Panther loose in Derbyshire.

[IncompleteSenten]

Rumours for years but apparently now dna evidence https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/environment/derbyshire-big-cat-recent-sightings-in-the-county-as-dna-confirms-there-is-a-big-cat-in-the-uk-4633229

I wonder if this means there is a chance there is a small colony after all? Since the rumours go back decades.

I'm also in the 'misread as partner' group.

I read it as “ Partner loose at Derbyshire” and then “DNA of a professor contains DNA of the panther family.”
I’m on Baileys.

You mean that there could be the Battle Cats from He-Man out there too?! 😱

Same here! I was imagining some stag left clingfilmed naked to a streetlight somewhere in Alfreton!

I saw the same and haven't had a drink 😂

Or Thunder Cats. Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder CATS, to give them their full scientific name.

Now that's a classy stag do 😆

There are many people for whom that's perfect night out goals. If only they knew how much their fantasy would be improved by the addition of a panther.

My last words will be here kitty kitty
Nice knowing you

I'm on the other side of the world and there have been supposed panther sightings inland from here for years. Struggling to believe it myself - and why is it always panthers?

There are / have undoubtedly been a few big cats loose. Either released or escaped from illegal collections.

A breeding colony though is complete fantasy. Our country is not that wild or isolated enough to support one without their presence being obvious.

Where is the scat, the pawprints, the ring doorbell footage, where are the bodies of these animals when they die or the weekly sheep carcasses in fields? Why aren't terrified villages kept up at night by the roaring?

There's no breeding colony.

I came on here to say exactly this! 😂

I was previously a huge skeptic on this topic but have had my own experiences which for me 100% confirms their existence.

In some rural areas it's a known fact amongst communities that they coexist (melanistic leopards, pumas and lynx are the three breeds sighted in the UK). But no one wants the front page Mirror or Mail headline and a load of mavericks with guns out roaming their quiet footpaths or fields where the locals are walking their dogs or farming.

Also if you're a relatively normal person, with any level or reputation or professional standing, there is really little incentive to contact newspapers with details of your sightings.

There's plenty of evidence around in the right circles - photos, footage, recording of calls, scar and hair samples, but very little of it reaches the public domain as most people with a genuine interest believe it is better for the cats to be left in peace as long as risk to people and livestock is not too high.

Oh we def have big cats roaming the British countryside - owners of exotic pets didn't want them in zoos etc when the legislation came in banning their ownership without strict licensing, so they released them.

There's suggestions they have breed with stray and wild cats but you never know 2 may have found each other.

I think you'll need more than cat treats if you come across one...

Cat.

They get eaten by badgers 😬

Heeheee. Get it up on TikTok!! Would it be 9/10 or 10/10 I wonder....

The legislation came in a long time ago. Nearly 50 years ago. Longer ago than a big cat’s lifespan.

Are you really suggesting that a panther could have bred with a stray moggy?

If thats a big cat in the video in your op @IncompleteSenten how come the other animals in the field are completely unfazed?

Also.......... Its Saturday morning (no alcohol!) and I also thought your partner was loose in Derbyshire!

Probably because it’s another sheep. A black one. It even looks like it may have horns!

Just look at that photo and the relative size of cat, leaves and grass. Black panthers are huge, so the proportions are completely wrong. Sorry.

I read exactly the same thing, and pictured a new and (no offence to Derbyshire) duller spin on those threads where the guy is off on a questionable jolly somewhere!

They'd have to be the size of a Cornish pasty!

It's amazing, truly, how these right people in the right circles are stopping all the other wrong people finding any evidence. They must have teams on rotation scooping up poop, hair, carcasses, footprints before someone can find them. They must have hacked into everyone's systems so they can swoop on damning wildlife and doorbell cameras and delete all the incriminating footage before some plebian outsider sees it.

Absolutely remarkable.

They are bigger, but they seem to have the same temperament.