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Alien Big Cats ('ABCs')

In your opinion what are alien big cats most likely to be?

  • Escapees from collections, breeding in the UK countryside

    Votes: 57 48.3%

  • A species of endemic British big cat somehow overlooked by science

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Zooform Phenomena - animal-shaped manifestations of paranormal activity

    Votes: 6 5.1%

  • Misidentifications of big dogs, normal cats etc

    Votes: 28 23.7%

  • A big hoax

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Summat else

    Votes: 4 3.4%

  • All of the above

    Votes: 23 19.5%
  • Total voters
    118
The Black Leopard sighted in Sussex is around nine years old, it's one of about three in the county, although territories melt into other counties. Lynx and Puma have also been sighted, I received over 80 reports from the county last year, all of these being 100% positive exotic cat reports and not vague, second-hand reports. Unfortunately the press always seem to call these animals black 'panther-like' animals...mmmm!!! Black Leopard would suffice!
Police haven't a clue how to deal with some of these situations but bles them, they like to be seen to do something!
 
Why do you ask that ? Is that a piss-take!!? Why would an exotic cat be zooform phenomena ?
 
The way that exotics seem to appear in a small area, for a certain length of time, with many reliable witnesses, and then vanish without trace and leaving no tangiable evidence, means that some ABC sightings could be zooform phenomena.

There are also claims that ABCs happen around the same areas as other Fortean phenomena, but I don't know if this would stand up to scrutiny.

In my opinion, ZP needn't be weird stuff like Bigfoot, Mothman or the Longendale Slug, but relatively "normal" cat-like creatures.
 
Yes Evilsprout I agree, but there is no reason to believe that such cats are in any way supernatural, but the 'black' cats tend to get lumped in with such lore but their elusive nature is nothing uncommon considering normal Leopards tracked extensively in countries such as Africa have 'gone missing' for years despite being adequately monitored. Sure, Britai isn't exactly comparable in terrain to that of Africa, but it still provides enough cover for a felid that is naturally extremely secretive. If these cats turn up in areas which also harbour other high strangeness then that's mere coincidence, especially when we consider that most of Britain, in fact the entire planet, has so much weirdness. Exotic cats do not appear in small areas at all, and why should they leave traces of tangible evidence ? Paw-prints are not going to be left all the time if these animals are walking various routes, and if they are feasting off rabbits there will not be much of this prey left. Large exotic cats cannot be compared to Mothman, simply because Mothman clearly was a passing figure, Bigfoot however should be investigated at first as a possible flesh and blood creature due to the abundance of eye-witness reports, and whilst many of these can be confused, vague etc, there are still those of authenticity.
 
A colleage of mine who lives in Portslade thinks she saw whatever it was on Friday evening and described it as a huge dog which had a very glossy coat and long tail. She said it looked like a 'wild dog', like a big bull terrier with powerful shoulders and legs.

Kitty.
 
ABC Sighting?

I used to belong to the Ise Valley Vagabonds walking club. About seven years ago, my daughter Verity and I (she was about eight years old at the time) were some 10km into the "Windmills and Water towers" walk in Cambridgeshire, and walking along an old roman road that runs along the crest of a hill for quite a distance, and is bordered on either side by quite tall hedges. We were miles from any human habitation.

There was no-one else around and we were making good progress. The time was about 6 AM on a Saturday morning.

Verity suddenly stopped, pointed to the hedge about fifty yards ahead on the left-hand side of the track and said "Dad, There's a big black cat over there, I can see it's eyes shining through the hedge".

Now, I've been interested in Forteana and an avid reader of FT for many years, so you can imagine what was going through my mind at that instant!

"What does it look like Verity" I asked her.
"Like a big black panther" she replied.

I almost Cacked myself, but there was nothing else to do but carry on walking.

As we approached the place where Verity had seen the "cat", we noticed that there was an old tractor behind the hedge, with huge black tyres. I suspect that my daughter's imagination turned the shape, partially obscured by the hedge, in the early morning sunlight, into a beast.

We didn't stop. We carried on walking as fast as we could, looking back occasionally, and I felt we were being watched for some time afterward.

By the way. Verity still insists that she saw a black panther, and I'll always wish that I had had the courage to do some investigation at the time, but all I could think of then was getting away from there with Verity in one piece.
 
I saw a big cat one April morning some years ago, around 1987ish. I was working part time as a cleaner in a supermarket in Farnham town centre, and used to start at 6.00am, so I had to walk about 2.5 miles to work early every morning, past Farnham Park (a large area of open access farmland just north of town), around the castle and into town. I was walking past the castle, which is surrounded by a dry moat overgrown with trees and stuff, on a raised path by the road, separated from the moat by a picket fence, when an enormous (huge; really, really big) cat leapt over the picket fence from the moat in a single bound, landed in front of me at a distance of 4-5 yards and ran in a crouch across the path, even crouching its back was higher than my knees, and what most impressed me were its powerful shoulder muscles and the way they rippled as it ran. The 'puma' (that's what it looked like to me), dropped down onto the road and disappeared into the undergrowth of the gardens on the far side. I had seen it for maybe 5-10 seconds then it was gone.
Returning home from work, I searched the bottom of the fence where it had landed, it had left a single paw-print in the mud, as big as the palm of my hand. Later that day it rained heavily, completely obliterating the print.

It was the lighter side of twilight when I saw the cat at close range, and there is no doubt in my mind that it was no moggy. I've lived near open countryside all my life, and am used to all the usual animals, deer, foxes, badgers etc. etc. and this was definitely a big cat.

After that it used to give me the willies passing the castle in the dark...
 
There were reports in Selly Oak in Birmingham last year that a large ape-like creature had been sighted wandering about late at night. It turned out to be a drunk student on their way home from a fancy dress party in a gorilla outfit.
 
ABCs

My husband saw an ABC 5 years ago on Dunstable Downs: his eyesight's very good and he had someone else with him so his sighting's probably reliable - but he was near Whipsnade Zoo at the time so it could have been an escapee...
 
Just read in my local newspaper (Hastings and St. Leonards Observer), that lamb has been found badly mauled with tooth and claw injuries not consistant with domestic animal attacks. Also reports that ABC's have been seen nearby. Have always said they are around.
 
ABC with four left feet???

Dodgy big cat alert! Rumours surfacing of possible ABC sitings on Bodmin moor over the next few months ought perhaps to be taken with a pinch or two of one's favoured seasoning.

Over the Easter holiday a new 'adventure park' was opened using the idea of ABC's at large on the moor and possibly living in local disused tin-mines as part of its publicity/hook. Great idea for raising awareness and all. However, genuine cat-trackers should be advised that hired help suggest that the manager of Colliford Lake Park, near Cardinham and Bodminin Cornwall, has gone and shelled out £100 quid for a lion's paw from an antique dealer. One lone print of unconfirmed origin has already appeared on-site.

Anybody spotting a four-front-left-footed large feline in the vicinity however would no doubt be able to put this rumour to rest.
 
ABC in OZ

Hey Neil

Mike from Australia,hows the dub going there.?
I have seen one ABc about 4 month ago,at dawn,near a water hole.
A farmer was showing me where he had seen it before.
I watched through a starlight scope.
An animal the size of a large shepherd,moved from my right to
left about 50 yards away at a speed I have never seen anywhere here before by any animal.
It had a long tail and the body shape of a cat.
I went "........ ,what is that" and passed the scope to the next guy,by the time he passed it back it was gone.

Mike
 
Many many years ago when I lived in Scotland [about 15-20 miles from the bear Hercules] I was walking home from where ever one day, I was approaching the grassy park-ish area when I saw what I thought was a bear on the grass. I felt my bowels loosen and I was about to scream "BEAR!!!!!!!" and start running hysterically when it turned around and I realised it was in fact a clipped Old English Sheepdog. I tell you minus the long coat those dogs look strange
 
When I lived in the West Midlands in the Summer of 1995, I was on my way back from a wedding reception just North of Dudley in the wee hours. Driving along a country road, I saw an animal in my lights at the side of the road. Yellowy-brown in colour, and about labrador-sized. Common sense might dictate that it was, well, a labrador, but the way it carried itself was very cat-like; low to the ground, slinking rather than loping, with a long thick tail with a rounded end raised up. Unfortunately I didn't see its head, as it was halfway through a hedge. I stopped in the middle of the road and watched as it forced its way through the hedge, and then got out. I could hear it moving away, before I realised I was alone in the middle of nowhere with something fairly big and potentially dangerous nearby, jumped back into my car and sped off.

There were a number of reported sightings of the "Dudley Puma" around that time. Our local vet in Stourbridge was attacked by it whilst walking on a disused railway, and was on the front of the local paper showing the claw marks on her stomach. As for what I saw, I'm fairly sure it wasn't a dog, or a weird looking fox. I wish I'd seen its head, and then I could be sure!
 
I was looking up something on the net for work and came across this

Skip the bit about the WI and look under the heading 'Pudford Lane'. Martley is near Worcester.

Carole
 
Bump! 3 ABCs merged.

And

Big Cat group to present evidence to No. 10
Big cats do exist and there is evidence to prove it - that's the message a Plymouth-based organisation will give to Downing Street later this year.

The British Big Cats Society (BBCS) says it has "strong and convincing evidence" to prove the existence of the wild beasts, and will present it to Number 10 in August.

The document, which includes details of video footage, foot prints and hair samples, will be handed over in a bid to convince sceptics that the big cats do exists.

Danny Bamping, founder of the society, said: "The document is a run down of all the conclusive evidence we have evaluated over the last three years. Our aim is to prove their existence and protect the cats. This document will satisfy one of those aims - it will prove they exist."

The BBCS is also currently identifying the body of an exotic cat found in the south-east of England.

During the last year, the society has received six new clips of video footage showing big cat sightings from across Britain. It also says there has been three confirmed attacks on horses and two on humans.

After being handed over to Downing Street, the new evidence will be given to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the police.

A Defra spokesman said: "We are looking forward to receiving this evidence. We only get involved when the issue concerns the farming community and the welfare of their livestock.

"Most of our work is with farmed animals not wild ones. However if someone wants to send us evidence we will take it seriously."

Devon and Cornwall is classed as a big cat hot spot and Bodmin Moor is one of the most famous places in country for big cat sightings.

The first "Beast of Bodmin" sighting was recorded in 1983, and since then more people who claim to have seen the puma-like animal have come forward.

In a report released by the BBCS, the number of sightings in Devon rose from ten in 2001 to 97 in 2002.

In Cornwall, there was an increase from seven in 2001 to 44 last year.

Farmers in Devon and Cornwall blame the big cats for killing dozens of livestock - particularly sheep.

And in 1994 the Government realised the reality of the problem and carried out an investigation on Bodmin Moor.

The Defra spokesman added: "We carried out the investigation but found no conclusive evidence to suggest they exist. Since then no one has presented any evidence, so we look forward to receiving this document."

The report will also reveal a number of possible ideas explaining where the cats have come from.

One explanation is thought to date back to the 1970s and 80s when new legislation forced exotic pet owners to set their animals free. Releasing these wild creatures into the British countryside was legal then.

Mr Bamping said: "The society believes this document will help enlighten the relevant authorities, and hopes it will encourage the undertaking of an official study into their presence in Britain."

The BBCS is also calling for anyone who has had an encounter with a big cat to report it on their website at http://www.britishbigcats.org
Click to expand...
Evidence for Cats of Mass destruction? :D

(I'll get me coat...)
 
My local paper the Central Somerset Gazette has a story today of a puma sighting. The animal was described thus:
"He was the size of a labrador, with dark tan fur and white ears. He sat there and stared at me and then walked away, so I could see he was definitely a cat"
Click to expand...

A local naturalist has asked anyone seeing it not to shoot it but to call the wildlife officer instead.
 
I blame the Bushmills! :D

Hmm, Bushmills... nostalgic sigh
 
Another Cornish one:

'Big cat' excites experts
A man out for a stroll near his home has filmed what experts say is the most conclusive evidence that big cats exist in the wild in Cornwall.
Clifford Knott was walking near his home when he spotted the large animal, described as about the size of a golden retriever dog, prowling across the edge of a corn field.

Mike Thomas at Newquay Zoo said the footage was the best he had seen in 10 years of studying the phenomenon of big cats in the UK.

He said: "I think this is very exciting and people should be excited because it shows a big cat.

Seen any big cats recently?
"I can't pinpoint exactly what big cat, but I would say it is certainly a fair old size and something that doesn't normally belong here.

"When we see the way that this cat moves, it is absolutely magnificent."

Mr Knott said: "I was dumbfounded when I first saw it.

"Everyone hopes they are going to walk into something like this, but I never expected to find something like that."

Secret location

Mr Thomas said it was likely the animal would remain in the area feeding on rats and mice until food runs short for a couple of weeks.

Until then, the location is being kept secret so the creature is not disturbed.

Some of the most notorious big cat sightings around the UK - including the Beast of Bodmin - have been in Cornwall.

There have also been a number of big cat sightings in south Devon, according to the Plymouth-based British Big Cats Society.

The society says it will unveil proof that big cats roam the UK in October.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says there is no proof that big cats are roaming the British countryside.
Click to expand...
But to my untrained eye, the video shown on local TV looked exactly like a common or garden moggie! Perhaps a large moggie, but there was little to give a sense of scale, and its movements seemed too quick for a large animal.

That said, there were convincing ABC reports within a few miles of Rynner Towers, just last year... :eek!!!!:
 
Regarding the puma (also called a panther in some reports) that is roaming North Antrim, it seems there is not much of a mystery about it. The police are sure it is an escaped 'pet', but that it could be dangerous all the same.

However reports today and yesterday say they believe there could be up to four different wild cats at large in the North of Ireland. That is only 6 counties - total population about 1.5million. I find four hard to believe myself.
 
Forty thousand sightings are not as good as one capture. Where's the 'scat', the footprints, the non-blurred pictures???
 
Irish Exotic Felids

Scarlett,
There are certainly several large exotic cats roaming parts of Ireland and enough cover for them too. see: http://www.irishlakemonsters.com

Reports suggest that Black Leopard, Puma, Lynx, Jungle Cat, etc roam Ireland.
Wembley...you ask where's the evidence as such, well, in Ireland a Lynx was shot by local authorities, paw-print casts are probably the most common evidence along with slaughtered livestock. As one famous zoologist once commented too,(or along those lines anyway) "...there is enough eye-witness evidence for these creatures to exist yet they are doubted, yet in a court of law someone can be prosecuted on the evidence of just one eye witness!"
 
Yeah Neil, I know that but my doubt was of four in just six counties at the same time. This is not the most remote or forested area of Ireland either. I recall the lynx from Tyrone of course, but seems it was only a recent escapee. The cat collection of the drug dealer in South Dublin was quite bizarre all right. There are reports of a 'cheetah' in Wicklow and a Scottish wildcat in the woods around the Slieve Bloom mountains. There are also reasonably reliable stories of domestic/unknown hybrids living wild in Sligo. Those are all the current cases I think.

I saw a pic a few years back of a huge tiger on a leash being walked on a road near the Border. Well that was what the newspaper article claimed, in a story about the non regulation of the private keeping of exotic species. When you consider the agility and intelligence of cats it is easy to see how one would escape from an enclosure, even without someone excercising one either accidentally or deliberately letting it go. Such an owner would be highly unlikely to report such an event to the police for fear of being held accountable for sheep kills, attacks on humans, etc.

Thanks for the link to the Lake Monsters site - will fill in an aimless afternoon at work!
 
If the 'lynx' you mention is the one shot by police a few years back it was neither wild (still wearing a collar) nor a big cat.

The casts I've seen have all looked very much like dog. Do you have a source? No scat, no fur samples, no scratches, no clear pictures...
 
A little follow up, weird thing that happened to me.

After someone further up the thread kindly pointed out a site that had information on Irish big cats I printed it out and finished reading it last night as I was cooking dinner. I put down the sheets of paper and went over towards the cooker. At that point the motion activated light went on in the yard and I glanced out the window. I saw what looked like a huge black cat on top of the wall. I grabbed the blind and pulled it back (one of those slatted type things). The noise made the cat look around and with a better view I could see it was a dark tortoiseshell. And though certainly a very big domestic, that was all. At the first sight I thought it was twice the size it actually was.

Maybe it was what was in my mind at the time, but it was a bit strange and also shows that on first glance you can estimate something to be bigger than it is.
 
rynner said:
Another Cornish one:
Click to expand...

I saw the footage ( being cursed with Cornish but not local news due to a large hill being in the way of the local signal) The expert had no idea what species it was-obviously it was too fluffy and moggy like to be a puma and though it looked like a lynx it had a tail. He said he thought it might be a hybrid! It did move too quickly to be a big cat though it also had a non-moggyness about it too, it just seemed slightly too big and heavy to be a standard domestic cat and personally I didn't think it moved like one either. I don't think it was quite as big as 'a golden retriever' though-more cocker spaniel.
 
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