Big cat on video in the UK - have we them here?

BornToKill

Unidentified 'big cat' filmed near military base

By Cordelia O'Neill, Press Association

Tuesday, 28 July 2009


Chris Swallow/PA Wire
The animal, believed to be a big cat, prowling close to a naval base in Faslane




A military policeman spoke today of his shock after capturing dramatic footage of a big cat prowling close to a naval base.



Dog handler Chris Swallow, based in Faslane on the Clyde, said he saw a large black cat on a nearby railway line.



Pc Swallow initially believed he was looking at a Labrador dog crossing railway tracks from a friend's garden on the Churchill Estate in Helensburgh on 30 June.


But on closer inspection he said he became convinced he had seen one of the mysterious big cats which reportedly roam the UK.



"The animal wasn't moving the way I expected a dog to. It was then I realised that what I was seeing was a big cat," Pc Swallow said, adding that he was "stunned" by what he saw.



"I ran to my car to grab my mobile phone for a picture. I stood on the nearby rail bridge in Winston Road and got a still photo and a couple of minutes of footage of the animal moving up the railway line," he said.




"It was remarkable. I've heard stories about creatures like this moving about the countryside but never really believed them before.



"Looking back at the video I don't think there's any doubt that it's a big cat."



Big cats have been seen in the area before, with several reports of a large tan-coloured creature - the "Coulport Cougar" - in the woods and hills of Loch Long in Portincaple, Whistlefield, in 2004.



John Belshaw, HM Naval Base Clyde's pest control officer, said he was contacted by police in 2007 about the sightings.



"They asked me what I thought about the stories of big cats in the area and then told me they had seen one cross the road in front of them during the night," he said.
"I think they were quite shaken by the whole experience and wanted reassurance."



"I have had a look at Chris's footage and have to say that I do not believe it is a domestic cat or a dog.
"At one point in the video it seems to walk on the railway line and a dog simply wouldn't have had the balance to do this.



"You can tell from the size of the track that it is much larger than a house cat."



The naval base animal is just the latest in a long line of sightings of big cats in the UK - Cath Palug reportedly roamed Anglesey in the Middle Ages and sightings of the Beast of Bodmin have been regularly reported since the early 1990s.



Most wild cat sightings have been assumed to be panthers, with a handful of reports assumed to be the lynx - a big cat once native in this country.



Their existence in the wild has been accredited to a range of sources, from escaped zoo and circus animals to a mass release in the 1970s after the enforcement of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.



Shaun Stevens, a researcher for Big Cats In Britain, a group which investigates animals roaming the British countryside, said the animal visible in Pc Swallow's photographs is "certainly not a domestic cat", adding that Argyle "appears to be a favourite haunt" of big cats.
The group hears of about 30 reported sightings of such animals in the area every year.



"I have a working theory that some of these cats may be a hybrid species or possibly a new species of cat," he said.



"Knowing that the width of the rail tracks in Chris's video is four feet, eight and a half inches, the animal photographed by him is clearly in excess of four feet.
"Initial first impressions are very exciting, as I think this could be one of the best pieces of footage of a big cat in the UK."

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/unidentified-big-cat-filmed-near-military-base-1763593.html

ch2008

http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/irishnews.htm

but doubt it

mark12ga

big kitty it would look better on my sitting room floor:D


Chris Swallow/PA Wire
The animal, believed to be a big cat, prowling close to a naval base in Faslane




A military policeman spoke today of his shock after capturing dramatic footage of a big cat prowling close to a naval base.



Dog handler Chris Swallow, based in Faslane on the Clyde, said he saw a large black cat on a nearby railway line.



Pc Swallow initially believed he was looking at a Labrador dog crossing railway tracks from a friend's garden on the Churchill Estate in Helensburgh on 30 June.


But on closer inspection he said he became convinced he had seen one of the mysterious big cats which reportedly roam the UK.



"The animal wasn't moving the way I expected a dog to. It was then I realised that what I was seeing was a big cat," Pc Swallow said, adding that he was "stunned" by what he saw.



"I ran to my car to grab my mobile phone for a picture. I stood on the nearby rail bridge in Winston Road and got a still photo and a couple of minutes of footage of the animal moving up the railway line," he said.




"It was remarkable. I've heard stories about creatures like this moving about the countryside but never really believed them before.



"Looking back at the video I don't think there's any doubt that it's a big cat."



Big cats have been seen in the area before, with several reports of a large tan-coloured creature - the "Coulport Cougar" - in the woods and hills of Loch Long in Portincaple, Whistlefield, in 2004.



John Belshaw, HM Naval Base Clyde's pest control officer, said he was contacted by police in 2007 about the sightings.



"They asked me what I thought about the stories of big cats in the area and then told me they had seen one cross the road in front of them during the night," he said.
"I think they were quite shaken by the whole experience and wanted reassurance."



"I have had a look at Chris's footage and have to say that I do not believe it is a domestic cat or a dog.
"At one point in the video it seems to walk on the railway line and a dog simply wouldn't have had the balance to do this.



"You can tell from the size of the track that it is much larger than a house cat."



The naval base animal is just the latest in a long line of sightings of big cats in the UK - Cath Palug reportedly roamed Anglesey in the Middle Ages and sightings of the Beast of Bodmin have been regularly reported since the early 1990s.



Most wild cat sightings have been assumed to be panthers, with a handful of reports assumed to be the lynx - a big cat once native in this country.



Their existence in the wild has been accredited to a range of sources, from escaped zoo and circus animals to a mass release in the 1970s after the enforcement of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.



Shaun Stevens, a researcher for Big Cats In Britain, a group which investigates animals roaming the British countryside, said the animal visible in Pc Swallow's photographs is "certainly not a domestic cat", adding that Argyle "appears to be a favourite haunt" of big cats.
The group hears of about 30 reported sightings of such animals in the area every year.



"I have a working theory that some of these cats may be a hybrid species or possibly a new species of cat," he said.



"Knowing that the width of the rail tracks in Chris's video is four feet, eight and a half inches, the animal photographed by him is clearly in excess of four feet.
"Initial first impressions are very exciting, as I think this could be one of the best pieces of footage of a big cat in the UK."

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/unidentified-big-cat-filmed-near-military-base-1763593.html[/quote]

jwshooter

with out doth we do have big cats in ireland ,if we did not we would be infested with muntjac by now.

There was one apparently sighted in Donegal, Other than that I havent seen any news about them.

ch2008

It would explain the sharp decline in Leprechaun sightings

jwshooter

ch2008 wrote: »

It would explain the sharp decline in Leprechaun sightings

i have said that for years now

tuxy

http://blather.net/blather/2003/11/update_big_cat_sightings_in_ir.html

Grizzly 45

Summer silly season in the Press already??? Where does the time go???:eek:

BryanL

There was loads of big cats in the country but they're nearly all gone now. They owe the banks billions, and left the place in a right mess:D

Grizzly 45

Celtic Tigers are quite rare and elusive critters these days...Are they on the CITES list??:pac:

Double Barrel

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Celtic Tigers are quite rare and elusive critters these days...Are they on the CITES list??:pac:

Lack of resources is driving them to extinction. They are not on the endangered list so they are still fair game. Trophy room hunters take note. :pac::pac::D

Real live cat at my nieces home in the Berkshires, Western Massachusetts.

Double Barrel

Another photo of a big cat at my nieces home in the Berkshires, Western Massachusetts.

Grizzly 45

Beats an Eircom alarm system for the gunsafe:D:D:D

BryanL

Is that one of the new conditions for keeping a hand gun or JCB?

DaveMaC

Have we them Here?

Presumably if we did you'd be queueing up to blast a hole in it and mount its head over your fireplace.

Half-cocked

DaveMaC wrote: »

Have we them Here?

Presumably if we did you'd be queueing up to blast a hole in it and mount its head over your fireplace.

No. They would be protected under the Wildlife Act unless the Minister made a derogation or allowed an open season.

Besides, I understand cat doesn't taste too good.

It wasn't me!

Half-cocked wrote: »

No. They would be protected under the Wildlife Act unless the Minister made a derogation or allowed an open season.

Besides, I understand cat doesn't taste too good.

I don't see why. Feral cats certainly aren't, nor are wild boar or anything else for which no derogation exists. Frankly, best thing to do would be to shoot it and report it if seen.

tiny-nioclas

I have no doubt in my mind that there are big cats in Ireland, myself and two other pretty experienced hunters saw two huge cats in the middle of a field one night out lamping foxes during the summer around three years ago, now i know people like to make a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to sensational news like this but we watched these two cats for around ten-fifteen minutes as clear as day under the lamp, through the rifle scope and through the binoculars, they were only 70-90yards away max, they werent put off by us or the light or anything,They just walked normally around the field for a while and then down into the glen at the far end of the field, i can safely say they were black panthers or something very very similar, they really were no house cats these were big animals you could not mistake them for anything else, i reported this to the local wildlife dept lads and they said there had been a few sightings alright, and i told them exactly where they were seen, what time etc. now i wouldnt believe this mad stuff unless i actually saw them myself either to be honest. Id say their "liberated" pets or something, its not exactly the place you'd find exotic cats!

Grizzly 45

DaveMaC wrote: »

Have we them Here?

Presumably if we did you'd be queueing up to blast a hole in it and mount its head over your fireplace.

DAMN STRAIGHT WE WOULD!:D:D:D Finally put an end to wether these exist or not.No they would not be protected,as the Wildlife acts make no mention of predatory felines, real or imagined.

Celtic Tiger shot by Handgun owner .Now THAT would be a silly season story!!:pac:

marlin vs

Here's the video link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8172064.stm?ls

kakashka

DaveMaC wrote: »

Presumably if we did you'd be queueing up to blast a hole in it and mount its head over your fireplace.

I'm sure the idiots that released Roe,Muntjac and Boar would be only too delighted to..I doubt they would Q up though!!AFAIHS not the orderly types.

ayapatrick

tiny-nioclas wrote: »

I have no doubt in my mind that there are big cats in Ireland, myself and two other pretty experienced hunters saw two huge cats in the middle of a field one night out lamping foxes during the summer around three years ago, now i know people like to make a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to sensational news like this but we watched these two cats for around ten-fifteen minutes as clear as day under the lamp, through the rifle scope and through the binoculars, they were only 70-90yards away max, they werent put off by us or the light or anything,They just walked normally around the field for a while and then down into the glen at the far end of the field, i can safely say they were black panthers or something very very similar, they really were no house cats these were big animals you could not mistake them for anything else, i reported this to the local wildlife dept lads and they said there had been a few sightings alright, and i told them exactly where they were seen, what time etc. now i wouldnt believe this mad stuff unless i actually saw them myself either to be honest. Id say their "liberated" pets or something, its not exactly the place you'd find exotic cats!

would ye not have been tempted to shoot them?

tiny-nioclas

Nah not a chance, i dont know what the laws are regarding shooting them, i wouldnt risk my license and guns to be honest, Only had a .223 with us anyway, these cats were alot bigger than any dog fox ha ha! They were very nice clean looking animals, so they would make a nice rug i'd say

ayapatrick

ah i see!;)

thedragon

jwshooter wrote: »

with out doth we do have big cats in ireland ,if we did not we would be infested with muntjac by now.

Ya there called tourist hunters. Its not just Muntjac they pay for.

jwshooter

tiny-nioclas wrote: »

Nah not a chance, i dont know what the laws are regarding shooting them, i wouldnt risk my license and guns to be honest, Only had a .223 with us anyway, these cats were alot bigger than any dog fox ha ha! They were very nice clean looking animals, so they would make a nice rug i'd say

there has been a big cat seen in kilshealan a few times, i have stalked the area for 15 years or so and i have never came across any tracks but there is a large area of timber for them to hide it.

i have found tracks on a mountain pic hear taken on my phone the bullet is a .270

jwshooter

thedragon wrote: »

Ya there called tourist hunters. Its not just Muntjac they pay for.

as usual a outstanding post !.

marlin vs

I think I found one of the kitts last summer, but it looked very hungry.

neil_hosey

that'd be the beast...

meathstevie

tiny-nioclas wrote: »

Nah not a chance, i dont know what the laws are regarding shooting them, i wouldnt risk my license and guns to be honest, Only had a .223 with us anyway, these cats were alot bigger than any dog fox ha ha! They were very nice clean looking animals, so they would make a nice rug i'd say

I'd chance any big cat bar lion & tiger ( just a touch too big ) with a .223 as they're nearly all thin skinned and light boned. I don't think you'll have to worry about the legal side of things either. They're not even mentioned for open or closed seasons as far as I know and you can't be prosecuted for an offence you can't commit. And as for a justification for shooting it when push came to shove : threat to livestock and game animals.

Just imagine the tabloid headlines : Hunter shoots black panther in Longford. And you can always get the head mounted and donate it to the Kilkenny hurling team.

kakashka

jwshooter wrote: »

i have found tracks on a mountain pic hear taken on my phone the bullet is a .270

Large dog maby,cats dont leave claw marks AFAIK

Grizzly 45

http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.

jaffa20

marlin vs wrote: »

I think I found one of the kitts last summer, but it looked very hungry.

Disturbing.

tiny-nioclas

jwshooter wrote: »

there has been a big cat seen in kilshealan a few times, i have stalked the area for 15 years or so and i have never came across any tracks but there is a large area of timber for them to hide it.

i have found tracks on a mountain pic hear taken on my phone the bullet is a .270

Yeah JW thats the area i saw them in, Thats an impressive track compared to the .270, i would love to see them again, iv'e been up there since a few times with no sign. Its a good area for deer so im sure they could take a weak animal, the mountains are full of sheep too

Grizzly 45

Has anyone complained about missing sheep,found carcasses of them or deer,or found them up trees?What do these kitties eat during the Winter,Autumn,and Spring?
Also there was supposedly some ****e found from one of these big cats a couple of years ago,which was taken bty the Dept of Ag experts for examination.There seemingly has NEVER been any follow up or reply from that Dept on this matter.
Which draws me to conclude.
The dept of Ag dont know Sht about Sht!:p
It isnt a cat at all,and we couldnt be arrsed saying this.
Or..It is and it is best to clam up as it might cause a "panic"

Dusty87

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Also there was supposedly some ****e found from one of these big cats a couple of years ago,which was taken bty the Dept of Ag experts for examination.There seemingly has NEVER been any follow up or reply from that Dept on this matter.

Your dead right. I searched for ages trying to find the "results". They made the fact of this sh1te being found and being sent for tests very public and then had no follow up. what a load of sh1te (no pun intended)

Draupnir

marlin vs wrote: »

I think I found one of the kitts last summer, but it looked very hungry.

what the hell did that to a cat?

Our man in Havana

I know of a certain forum that who's members would go apeshit if they saw that pic. :eek:

Dusty87

Draupnir wrote: »

what the hell did that to a cat?

Dont know how it died but im guessing crows and magpies left her like you see there.

Our man in Havana

I am surprised that the head has not been gutted.

Trojan911

Bond-007 wrote: »

I am surprised that the head has not been gutted.

It bears the signs of a skinning by a human. Would anyone agree?

foxhunter

Hey Marlin vs whats the local cuisine like down your way?:D:D

It wasn't me!

Trojan911 wrote: »

It bears the signs of a skinning by a human. Would anyone agree?

Well there's more than one way to do it.


*drum shuffle*


*gets coat*

marlin vs

foxhunter wrote: »

Hey Marlin vs whats the local cuisine like down your way?:D:D

Believe me if one was put up in front of you and you were told it was rabbit you wouldn't know the difference.

jwshooter

was there a chinese close by

jwshooter

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Has anyone complained about missing sheep,found carcasses of them or deer,or found them up trees?What do these kitties eat during the Winter,Autumn,and Spring?
Also there was supposedly some ****e found from one of these big cats a couple of years ago,which was taken bty the Dept of Ag experts for examination.There seemingly has NEVER been any follow up or reply from that Dept on this matter.
Which draws me to conclude.
The dept of Ag dont know Sht about Sht!:p
It isnt a cat at all,and we couldnt be arrsed saying this.
Or..It is and it is best to clam up as it might cause a "panic"

the country is full of muntjac ,i bet no one has seen one let alone a pic

cavan shooter

If you do go hunting big cat make sure you bring reeboks or similiar good running shoes while your mate has wellies:D

Dusty87

jwshooter wrote: »

the country is full of muntjac ,i bet no one has seen one let alone a pic

Muntjac have been seen and shot have thy not JW?.

katzen

there were a few sightings of a panther in the wicklow mountains a few years ago

Grizzly 45

Trojan911 wrote: »

It bears the signs of a skinning by a human. Would anyone agree?

Got somthing there allright.An animal would maul the carcass to bits,not leave it relatively intact,and carrion birds wouldnt leave the head,eyes and paws nicely intact.Rib cage seems to be missing and the spinal meat looks cut out or chewed.Whatever it was it looks like a very surgical job.
Didnt JG post a pic of a shot Muntjac here awhile ago??