Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2001
- Messages
- 51,689
- Location
- Inside a starship, watching puny humans from afar
Good find, Fen_Tyger.
Tribble
Killjoy Boffin
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2015
- Messages
- 2,956
Village school alerted as panther reported on the loose in Kent countryside
Hundreds of parents received text messages warning them that a panther had been spotted near their primary school.
The alarm was raised on Wednesday morning after a very large black cat was seen in a sleepy Kent village.
The text sent to parents at two local schools read: “For your information: There has been a sighting of a black panther outside Brookline Coaches in Ryarsh this morning.
“ The police have been informed.”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/village-school-alerted-panther-reported-6818586
Hundreds of parents received text messages warning them that a panther had been spotted near their primary school.
The alarm was raised on Wednesday morning after a very large black cat was seen in a sleepy Kent village.
The text sent to parents at two local schools read: “For your information: There has been a sighting of a black panther outside Brookline Coaches in Ryarsh this morning.
“ The police have been informed.”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/village-school-alerted-panther-reported-6818586
staticgirl
Abominable Snowman
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Messages
- 994
Heh. Looks like a shadow on a tree trunk to me....
Tribble
Killjoy Boffin
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2015
- Messages
- 2,956
Elliot Evans was terrified when he was stalked with a huge, black panther while out running.
The 16-year-old schoolboy was on his regular run on a village playing field in in Wickham Market, Suffolk, when he spotted the deadly big cat.
Darkness was falling when Elliot met the eyes of the panther on the route he takes every other day on Simon's Cross playing field.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/schoolboy-comes-face-face-huge-7185521
(So he had a phone with a torch, suggesting it's a smartphone. He should've taken a photo at least)
The 16-year-old schoolboy was on his regular run on a village playing field in in Wickham Market, Suffolk, when he spotted the deadly big cat.
Darkness was falling when Elliot met the eyes of the panther on the route he takes every other day on Simon's Cross playing field.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/schoolboy-comes-face-face-huge-7185521
(So he had a phone with a torch, suggesting it's a smartphone. He should've taken a photo at least)
Bigphoot2
Not sprouts! I hate sprouts.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2005
- Messages
- 11,076
Big cat ‘spotted’ yards away from houses in St Andrews
A big black cat has allegedly been spotted in St Andrews, Fife
1HAVE YOUR SAY
A BIG cat has again been reported prowling just yards from houses in St Andrews, Fife.
Drew Lumsden says he spotted the beast as he drove daughter Kaitlyn, 7, from their home on the south-east edge of the town to her swimming class last week.
He said the black animal was the size of an Alsatian or Labrador but had a feline gait and long tail.
Drew, who works as a landscaper, said: “I am 100 per cent certain it was a cat. It was certainly no dog.”
Big cat sightings have been reported in that area before, with a flurry in 2012.
The animal spotted last Thursday evening was in a field about 300 yards from the road near the Grange Inn.
Drew said: “I was taking my daughter to swimming just before 6pm and she saw it first.
“She thought it was a fox at first but it was no fox, it was black.
its head and the length of its tail. It was walking along, as casual as anything.
“I stopped to take a photograph but it was too dark and pictures came out grey.”
The pair stopped and watched the creature for more than five minutes.
Drew, who was one of several people to spot a big cat at Rathillet a few years ago, returned the next day to look for paw prints but found none.
Four years ago there were several sightings of a creature resembling a black leopard in the same area and Lumbo Den and a wooded area near Strathkinness Low Road.
Local historian and artist David Joy said he had seen the cat several times, once just yards from his door at The Grange, and had found remains of rabbits which he said had obviously been eaten by something large.
Just a few weeks earlier there were a series of sightings reported over just a few days of a creature resembling a black leopard with a 4ft long tail around Kilmany.
Fife has previously been named a big cat hotspot, with a plethora of tales of large felines roaming the countryside.
Police revealed in 2014 that they had had 10 reports in the previous two years.
One was of a man being attacked by a big cat in Strathkinness.
Many believe in the Balbirnie Beast, said to be on the loose around the Glenrothes area.
In 2006 Fife Constabulary thought it had found proof of the animal when it produced a cast of paw print which experts said may have been from an 18-month-old big cat, but others argued it could have been a large dog.
Sightings have also been recorded at Saline, Leven, the Lomond Hills, Letham, Bishop Hill and Blairadam.
Read more: http://www.scotsman.com/news/big-ca...-houses-in-st-andrews-1-4040530#ixzz41giN0hLM
Follow us: @TheScotsman on Twitter | TheScotsmanNewspaper on Facebook
http://www.scotsman.com/news/big-cat-spotted-yards-away-from-houses-in-st-andrews-1-4040530
AgProv
Doctor of Disorientation Studies, UnseenUniversity
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
- Messages
- 1,340
- Location
- too North to be Midlands, too south to be North
Here's an interesting one. Are there people who will take this sense of humour out for walkies and then stand back and grin?
https://www.facebook.com/humorandjo...4406973308520/922141187868426/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/humorandjo...4406973308520/922141187868426/?type=3&theater
FelixAntonius
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2001
- Messages
- 1,180
There was a bloke in South Africa a few years ago, who trimmed his long haired Alsatian's so that they looked like lions.
Theft from his yard went down to zero
Theft from his yard went down to zero
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Beast of Dartmoor mystery solved after famous circus owner Mary Chipperfield 'set three Pumas free in 1970s'
Cristina Criddle Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter
21 July 2016 • 12:45pm
For years, the rumours of big cats roaming Dartmoor and savaging livestock have been dismissed as sheer fantasy, no more credible than claims of the existence of the Loch Ness monster.
But the doubters may have - dare one say it - paws for thought.
For the claims that Big Cats are roaming free may actually be true, with the mystery of how they got to Dartmoor and nearby Exmoor and Bodmin Moor solved at last.
It is now claimed that three pumas were released onto the wilds of Dartmoor by Mary Chipperfield, the famous circus owner, after her zoo in Plymouth was forced to shut down in 1978.
[Video: Mary Chipperfield]
The large cats were being driven to their new home at the moor's wildlife park by Ms Chipperfield - but that only two out of a consignment of five pumas ever arrived.
It is thought Ms Chipperfield released her favourite breeding pair and another male into the wild rather than see them go into a new home.
The claim has surfaced in the wake of the disappearance from Dartmoor Zoo of Flaviu, a rare lynx, which escaped its enclosure earlier this month.
Benjamin Mee, owner of the zoo, said yesterday that while Flaviu’s escape was somewhat unfortunate, his disappearance is far from a first.
Mr Mee said that when he bought the zoo for £1 million in 2006, he was informed of a pack of pumas that had allegedly been released into the wild in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
“There were lots of rumours and many different stories about how they got out,” said Mr Mee. “Some say they were released from the old zoo either by mistake or on purpose - we just don’t know - while some others say they were being transported here at the time from the zoo in Plymouth.
“I have no knowledge of the circumstances about how it happened. But at the time there were three pumas that should have been here at Dartmoor Zoo that were not.”
The Telegraph picked up the trail set by Mr Mee. The zoo’s previous owner Ellis Daw, now aged 86, has moved from Sparkwell, where he founded the wildlife park in 1968 and was unavailable for comment last night.
But with the scent going cold, The Telegraph tracked down Danny Bamping, the founder of the British Big Cats Society, which has been cataloguing sightings for almost a quarter of a century.
Mr Bamping said he had never told the story of the pumas of Dartmoor before, not least because nobody had ever asked. His source, he said, was Mr Daw.
In the 1970s Plymouth Zoo was owned by the Chipperfields, the circus family,” said Mr Bamping. “When the zoo was shut down, Mary Chipperfield agreed to transfer her five pumas to Mr Daw at Dartmoor Wildlife Park.
“But when they arrived, Ellis told me there were only two pumas in the consignment but five tags in the cage. Mary Chipperfield told Ellis she had broken down on Dartmoor and that somehow three of the pumas had escaped. We think she let them out on the moor.
“She wasn’t even obliged to report it because releasing exotic species wasn’t even illegal until 1981.
“It was just brushed under the carpet and never talked about. It has never come out until now.”
The pumas could easily have survived on the wilds of the moor, says Mr Bamping, and might even have roamed to Exmoor and Bodmin, where there have been sightings.
Not that one can call pumas big cats. Pumas - unlike lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards - don’t roar. And that makes them very large wild cats, rather than big cats. Not, mind you, that that is much comfort to the sheep savaged by them over the years.
Ms Chipperfield died in 2014 so ascertaining her motive for releasing the pumas, native to north and south America, is difficult. It is thought she released her favourite breeding pair plus a young male to keep them company.
Last night, Roger Cawley, the husband of the late Ms Chipperfield, speaking from his new home in Spain where he breeds rare white tigers, dismissed the claims about the pumas.
He said: “We had no dealings with the old Dartmoor Wildlife Park all those years ago and certainly never released pumas or any other wild animals on Dartmoor. However, I hope Flaviu is eventually found and captured safely.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ery-solved-as-dartmoor-zoo-released-pumas-in/
Photos and other stuff on page.
Cristina Criddle Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter
21 July 2016 • 12:45pm
For years, the rumours of big cats roaming Dartmoor and savaging livestock have been dismissed as sheer fantasy, no more credible than claims of the existence of the Loch Ness monster.
But the doubters may have - dare one say it - paws for thought.
For the claims that Big Cats are roaming free may actually be true, with the mystery of how they got to Dartmoor and nearby Exmoor and Bodmin Moor solved at last.
It is now claimed that three pumas were released onto the wilds of Dartmoor by Mary Chipperfield, the famous circus owner, after her zoo in Plymouth was forced to shut down in 1978.
[Video: Mary Chipperfield]
The large cats were being driven to their new home at the moor's wildlife park by Ms Chipperfield - but that only two out of a consignment of five pumas ever arrived.
It is thought Ms Chipperfield released her favourite breeding pair and another male into the wild rather than see them go into a new home.
The claim has surfaced in the wake of the disappearance from Dartmoor Zoo of Flaviu, a rare lynx, which escaped its enclosure earlier this month.
Benjamin Mee, owner of the zoo, said yesterday that while Flaviu’s escape was somewhat unfortunate, his disappearance is far from a first.
Mr Mee said that when he bought the zoo for £1 million in 2006, he was informed of a pack of pumas that had allegedly been released into the wild in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
“There were lots of rumours and many different stories about how they got out,” said Mr Mee. “Some say they were released from the old zoo either by mistake or on purpose - we just don’t know - while some others say they were being transported here at the time from the zoo in Plymouth.
“I have no knowledge of the circumstances about how it happened. But at the time there were three pumas that should have been here at Dartmoor Zoo that were not.”
The Telegraph picked up the trail set by Mr Mee. The zoo’s previous owner Ellis Daw, now aged 86, has moved from Sparkwell, where he founded the wildlife park in 1968 and was unavailable for comment last night.
But with the scent going cold, The Telegraph tracked down Danny Bamping, the founder of the British Big Cats Society, which has been cataloguing sightings for almost a quarter of a century.
Mr Bamping said he had never told the story of the pumas of Dartmoor before, not least because nobody had ever asked. His source, he said, was Mr Daw.
In the 1970s Plymouth Zoo was owned by the Chipperfields, the circus family,” said Mr Bamping. “When the zoo was shut down, Mary Chipperfield agreed to transfer her five pumas to Mr Daw at Dartmoor Wildlife Park.
“But when they arrived, Ellis told me there were only two pumas in the consignment but five tags in the cage. Mary Chipperfield told Ellis she had broken down on Dartmoor and that somehow three of the pumas had escaped. We think she let them out on the moor.
“She wasn’t even obliged to report it because releasing exotic species wasn’t even illegal until 1981.
“It was just brushed under the carpet and never talked about. It has never come out until now.”
The pumas could easily have survived on the wilds of the moor, says Mr Bamping, and might even have roamed to Exmoor and Bodmin, where there have been sightings.
Not that one can call pumas big cats. Pumas - unlike lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards - don’t roar. And that makes them very large wild cats, rather than big cats. Not, mind you, that that is much comfort to the sheep savaged by them over the years.
Ms Chipperfield died in 2014 so ascertaining her motive for releasing the pumas, native to north and south America, is difficult. It is thought she released her favourite breeding pair plus a young male to keep them company.
Last night, Roger Cawley, the husband of the late Ms Chipperfield, speaking from his new home in Spain where he breeds rare white tigers, dismissed the claims about the pumas.
He said: “We had no dealings with the old Dartmoor Wildlife Park all those years ago and certainly never released pumas or any other wild animals on Dartmoor. However, I hope Flaviu is eventually found and captured safely.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ery-solved-as-dartmoor-zoo-released-pumas-in/
Photos and other stuff on page.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
The escape of Flaviu is covered here, and ff:
http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/animal-escapes.13810/page-6#post-1599596
http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/animal-escapes.13810/page-6#post-1599596
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
A bit of a cat fight...
Former Dartmoor Zoo owners accuse current boss of destroying their legacy
By Plymouth Herald | Posted: July 28, 2016
The family who once ran Dartmoor Zoo have launched a scathing attack on its current owner, accusing him of destroying their legacy.
Ben Mee bought Dartmoor Zoo from the Daw family in 2006 after they had owned it for 36 years.
But Lynne Daw, aged 64, who ran it with her former husband Ellis, says she is distraught at how he has run things – and were devastated he had let a big cat escape from the grounds.
They have also accused Mr Mee of neglecting the health and safety of the animals in lieu of promoting himself.
And they claim he has "invented" a story about them releasing pumas into the wild to distract from his own safety lapses.
Mr Mee said he was disappointed with the family's comments.
Mrs Daw said: "We ran the zoo for 36 years and I was always in charge of the big cats. I am so, so angry with what I have heard him claim.
"By accusing us of releasing pumas into the wild, he is trying to cover himself and the mistakes he has made by saying 'look it is ok to have big cats running about.'
"There are an amazing amount of big cats out there. But we never let ours out.
"Ordinary people had big cats and they were released into the wild when they had to get rid of them when legislation came in the late 70s.
"There are leopards out there and Pumas, but ours were all born in captivity.
"We never had any of our big cats escape. I handled all the big cats – Jaguars, lions, Pumas.
"We had a chain link and used to check them twice a day and last thing at night before we went home.
"He has got it all overgrown. We can't understand why he can not keep an eye on it.
"He is supposed to have regular inspections by health and safety and the zoo vets yet he doesn't even have a perimeter fence.
"We would never have got a zoo licence without one so I don't understand how he is getting away with it?"
Mrs Daw said her family had offered any help they could to Ben when he first bought the zoo but were rebuffed.
She said: "I did try and help him but he just doesn't want to know. It was my life's work so I had a lot to offer. But why is there no perimeter fence and why is it so overgrown?
"I am very sad he is not taking responsibility and slinging muck at us.
"Our safety record was exemplary and we never had any running free or released any.
"It is always all about him where it should be all about the animals.
"Ellis sold to him as we thought it was going to another family. Our family had a very happy time and the children loved growing up there.
"But it was supposed to be a legacy that would be passed down. We are all so upset and angry at how he has destroyed that."
Mr Mee told The Herald Mrs Dawe's comments were "disappointing".
"I am not accusing anyone of anything, I am not trying to distract from the story," he said.
"There were sightings of big cats. Several of the Daw family carried on working here for a year or two years, and I heard from them that there were pumas around, and I still believe I saw one myself but that they died out."
Mr Mee also insisted Dartmoor Zoo has all the required safety features in place.
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/for...their-legacy/story-29562130-detail/story.html
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
All moorland is beastly. Plus Local papers are crap on investigative reporting.
The Beast of Bodmin has alliteration in its favour, but Conan Doyle was probably the first to widely popularise the Beast of Dartmoor in the public imagination.
eburacum
Papo-furado
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2005
- Messages
- 5,811
They tightened up the rules on exotic animals some time in the 70's, driving a lot of small wildlife parks out of business; perhaps some of the cryptids were released then. Most of the animals were put to sleep.
A few dead animals were found in the wild; most of those are listed here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_big_cats#Captures_and_remains
If there were others they presumably died out and left no trace.
A few dead animals were found in the wild; most of those are listed here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_big_cats#Captures_and_remains
If there were others they presumably died out and left no trace.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
One cat is back in the bag, but is there another one in Cornwall?
Police search for animal after a driver says 'big cat' jumped in front of his lorry near St Austell
By CG_Dan | Posted: August 02, 2016
Police have carried out a search for a big cat after a lorry driver said it jumped out in front of his vehicle.
It was spotted near a clay pit between Nanpean and Whitemoor in the St Austell area.
The stunned driver contacted contacted Imerys to say they had seen a big cat with black markings on its face, a thorny colour, and a dark tail.
When the police arrived the scene they found mysterious white paw prints where the creature had crossed the road.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said the person who phoned police was not the one who saw the big cat.
"At that point it was described as a female lion walking in front of a lorry," he added. "It was at the time the lynx was on the loose but it was probably not that as it was a different area.
"Officers went down at 11.25am and spoke to the driver who had seen it. It wasn't described as a lion but as a big cat at that point. There were marks where the animal crossed.
"There have been reports of a similar nature over the years. There was no sighting of the animal by officers.
"It is not thought to be a danger to members of the public or workers."
http://www.westbriton.co.uk/police-...of-his-lorry/story-29575201-detail/story.html
"When the police arrived the scene they found mysterious white paw prints where the creature had crossed the road". The road runs SW to NE, and the areas on either side are covered in China Clay workings, especially to the SE, so the "white paw prints" are not that mysterious! (The name Whitemoor is another clue!) Imerys is the company that took over the China Clay industry in 1999.
This area is about 16 miles from Bodmin, and somewhat further from Bodmin Moor, so could this be the Beast of Bodmin exploring new hunting grounds?!
Police search for animal after a driver says 'big cat' jumped in front of his lorry near St Austell
By CG_Dan | Posted: August 02, 2016
Police have carried out a search for a big cat after a lorry driver said it jumped out in front of his vehicle.
It was spotted near a clay pit between Nanpean and Whitemoor in the St Austell area.
The stunned driver contacted contacted Imerys to say they had seen a big cat with black markings on its face, a thorny colour, and a dark tail.
When the police arrived the scene they found mysterious white paw prints where the creature had crossed the road.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said the person who phoned police was not the one who saw the big cat.
"At that point it was described as a female lion walking in front of a lorry," he added. "It was at the time the lynx was on the loose but it was probably not that as it was a different area.
"Officers went down at 11.25am and spoke to the driver who had seen it. It wasn't described as a lion but as a big cat at that point. There were marks where the animal crossed.
"There have been reports of a similar nature over the years. There was no sighting of the animal by officers.
"It is not thought to be a danger to members of the public or workers."
http://www.westbriton.co.uk/police-...of-his-lorry/story-29575201-detail/story.html
"When the police arrived the scene they found mysterious white paw prints where the creature had crossed the road". The road runs SW to NE, and the areas on either side are covered in China Clay workings, especially to the SE, so the "white paw prints" are not that mysterious! (The name Whitemoor is another clue!) Imerys is the company that took over the China Clay industry in 1999.
This area is about 16 miles from Bodmin, and somewhat further from Bodmin Moor, so could this be the Beast of Bodmin exploring new hunting grounds?!
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Cornwall's Big Cat Sightings Revealed
7:11am 3rd August 2016
As Cornwall goes onto lion alert, Pirate FM has learnt there has been a string of big cat sightings reported to police.
It comes after a driver reported seeing a female lion leap out in front of him near St Austell.
Police who attended found prints of something nearby but say there is no risk to the public.
There have always been rumours of big cats living in the wilds of Cornwall - including the legendary beast of Bodmin.
But data, seen by Pirate FM, reveals that police have also investigated a string of other sightings across the Duchy.
Over the last five years there have been ten - not including the most recent incident between Nanpean and Whitemoor.
Check them all out here...
Launceston, February 2011 - A caller told police they had seen a large cat, possibly the size of a panther, crossing the road in front of their vehicle towards houses.
Padstow and St Merryn, August 2011 - A calf was attacked by a cat, which the caller said was not a domestic cat.
Roseland, Probus, Trispen and St Erme, June 2012 - A caller reported a big cat sighting in a field. They said it was foxed sized, grey or brown with a bushy tail.
Grampound and Mevagissey, September 2012 - A large cat, the size of an Alsatian, was said to be in a caller's back garden. Police were told it was injured.
St Blazey and Tywardreath, May 2013 - Caller reported seeing a large looking cat - that was not a domesticated creature.
Millbrook and Rame, February 2014 - The police log says: "Caller saw a large beast ... Panther like, black, wiry, long tail, long defined face, whiskers, crossed the road with a middle sized deer in its mouth."
Hayle Foundary, July 2014 - A big "puma sized" cat was reported in a field behind the caller's house.
Porthleven and Helston, September 2014 - A caller said that, in July, they had seen a large, dark coloured cat.
Mount Hawke and St Agnes, January 2015 - A big cat was spotted in a field.
Lostwithiel and Fowey, June 2015 - The caller said it looked like a puma with ears similar to a bear, tail to the ground and black in colour. It measured around two and a half feet tall.
The police data has been released as a trucker told Pirate FM how he found a decapitated deer near the spot where the lion was apparently seen. [See next post]
http://www.piratefm.co.uk/news/latest-news/2057347/cornwalls-big-cat-sightings-revealed/
7:11am 3rd August 2016
As Cornwall goes onto lion alert, Pirate FM has learnt there has been a string of big cat sightings reported to police.
It comes after a driver reported seeing a female lion leap out in front of him near St Austell.
Police who attended found prints of something nearby but say there is no risk to the public.
There have always been rumours of big cats living in the wilds of Cornwall - including the legendary beast of Bodmin.
But data, seen by Pirate FM, reveals that police have also investigated a string of other sightings across the Duchy.
Over the last five years there have been ten - not including the most recent incident between Nanpean and Whitemoor.
Check them all out here...
Launceston, February 2011 - A caller told police they had seen a large cat, possibly the size of a panther, crossing the road in front of their vehicle towards houses.
Padstow and St Merryn, August 2011 - A calf was attacked by a cat, which the caller said was not a domestic cat.
Roseland, Probus, Trispen and St Erme, June 2012 - A caller reported a big cat sighting in a field. They said it was foxed sized, grey or brown with a bushy tail.
Grampound and Mevagissey, September 2012 - A large cat, the size of an Alsatian, was said to be in a caller's back garden. Police were told it was injured.
St Blazey and Tywardreath, May 2013 - Caller reported seeing a large looking cat - that was not a domesticated creature.
Millbrook and Rame, February 2014 - The police log says: "Caller saw a large beast ... Panther like, black, wiry, long tail, long defined face, whiskers, crossed the road with a middle sized deer in its mouth."
Hayle Foundary, July 2014 - A big "puma sized" cat was reported in a field behind the caller's house.
Porthleven and Helston, September 2014 - A caller said that, in July, they had seen a large, dark coloured cat.
Mount Hawke and St Agnes, January 2015 - A big cat was spotted in a field.
Lostwithiel and Fowey, June 2015 - The caller said it looked like a puma with ears similar to a bear, tail to the ground and black in colour. It measured around two and a half feet tall.
The police data has been released as a trucker told Pirate FM how he found a decapitated deer near the spot where the lion was apparently seen. [See next post]
http://www.piratefm.co.uk/news/latest-news/2057347/cornwalls-big-cat-sightings-revealed/
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
BREAKING: Decapitated Deer Found Following 'Lion' Sighting
7:50am 3rd August 2016
A listener to Pirate FM has told how a decapitated deer has been found, close to where a lion was apparently spotted crossing the road in Cornwall.
It is after a driver told how the lioness leapt out in front of him near St Austell, sparking a police investigation.
Officers discovered tracks between Nanpean and Whitemoor, but say there is no risk to the public.
Now Brian Goldsworthy, a trucker, has told how the body of a headless deer has been found in a nearby quarry.
He said: "I come in every morning to open up the quarry between 5.15am and 5.30am.
"Yesterday morning we found the body of a headless baby deer in the quarry.
"It is a serious matter. I know a few people are taking it quite lightly. But it is a serious matter - when you start finding headless animals then things get a little bit serious.
"We've had the big cat up in Devon going around eating baby lambs. You never know what's going to come around the corner that hour of the morning.
"I'm not worried - not like that - but you never know what you're going to find when you come into work in the mornings."
http://www.piratefm.co.uk/news/late...capitated-deer-found-following-lion-sighting/
7:50am 3rd August 2016
A listener to Pirate FM has told how a decapitated deer has been found, close to where a lion was apparently spotted crossing the road in Cornwall.
It is after a driver told how the lioness leapt out in front of him near St Austell, sparking a police investigation.
Officers discovered tracks between Nanpean and Whitemoor, but say there is no risk to the public.
Now Brian Goldsworthy, a trucker, has told how the body of a headless deer has been found in a nearby quarry.
He said: "I come in every morning to open up the quarry between 5.15am and 5.30am.
"Yesterday morning we found the body of a headless baby deer in the quarry.
"It is a serious matter. I know a few people are taking it quite lightly. But it is a serious matter - when you start finding headless animals then things get a little bit serious.
"We've had the big cat up in Devon going around eating baby lambs. You never know what's going to come around the corner that hour of the morning.
"I'm not worried - not like that - but you never know what you're going to find when you come into work in the mornings."
http://www.piratefm.co.uk/news/late...capitated-deer-found-following-lion-sighting/
blessmycottonsocks
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"eating baby lambs. "
Lambs are baby sheep. You can't have a baby lamb any more than you can have a baby baby.
"the body of a headless deer "
That sounds weird too.
My favourite part of the story was that they found very large paw-prints at the scene, but a police spokesman stated "It is not thought to be a danger to members of the public or workers."
Read more at http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/pol...9576321-detail/story.html#pB8QLGsXzHjTBWMm.99
Lambs are baby sheep. You can't have a baby lamb any more than you can have a baby baby.
"the body of a headless deer "
That sounds weird too.
My favourite part of the story was that they found very large paw-prints at the scene, but a police spokesman stated "It is not thought to be a danger to members of the public or workers."
Read more at http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/pol...9576321-detail/story.html#pB8QLGsXzHjTBWMm.99
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Looks like the panic is rising:
Did a BIG CAT or a pack of dogs maul to death this foal found mutilated in field?
By WMNDavidWells | Posted: August 04, 2016
A pack of dogs or even a BIG CAT is suspected of mauling a young foal to death after the poor creature's body was found mutilated by its distraught owner.
Police initially suspected the animal was the victim of a dog attack but the foal's owner said she has never seen anything like this attack and fears the young foal may have been the victim of a wild animal.
The attack took place only about 25 miles from where a lion or puma-type big cat was reportedly seen by a lorry driver a week ago.
Heartbroken Mellissa Press, 33, from Carn Brea Village in Cornwall, discovered her beloved foal Cinders ravaged on Monday night.
Cinders, who wasn't even a month old, was lying dead with chunks of flesh missing from her side exposing her rib cage, her neck and her face.
Mellissa said: "I just don't understand what has happened.
"I've kept horses since I was 13 and have never come across anything like this.
"My ex-partner went to check on Cinders and rang and said she was dead. At first I didn't believe him but I then went up and found her lying in the field."
Mellissa at first suspected Cinders had been the victim of a dog attack but said she doesn't believe the foal's wounds match with those of such an attack.
"Dog attacks are usually messy with puncture wounds and scratches but I didn't find any of those on Cinders," she added.
"She also has a load of flesh missing from her back and spine. She was in a field with two other horses but must have wandered away and became easy pickings."
Mellissa says she found a couple of fencing panels along the perimeter of the field the horses were being kept in had been smashed and also a large animal footprint.
She said: "I have a big dog and its footprint was literally half the size of the one I found in my field.
"It's heart-breaking but I need to stay strong for my children, we also have a English Spring Spaniel Harley that has been missing for more than a year that we are continuing to search for."
A lorry driver had recently reported seeing a big cat in Clay Country near St Austell. A dead dear was also found nearby leading experts to state that a big cat living in Cornwall is a possibility.
Mellissa has said that she isn't sure what caused Cinders' death but wouldn't rule out animal attack or foul play as possible causes.
Both her daughter Leahney and friend Beth Tonkin have also spoken of their anguish.
Leahney said: "The night before she passed away Beth and I were just starting to gain Cinders' trust and I'm so sad the opportunity has passed."
Beth added: "We all loved here so much and will miss her dearly. It is such a shame she has passed and it's so bad that someone or something has done that to her."
...
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/did...ted-in-field/story-29585955-detail/story.html
Photos on page, including a really graphic one (which is covered unless you choose to see it) of the dead foal.
Did a BIG CAT or a pack of dogs maul to death this foal found mutilated in field?
By WMNDavidWells | Posted: August 04, 2016
A pack of dogs or even a BIG CAT is suspected of mauling a young foal to death after the poor creature's body was found mutilated by its distraught owner.
Police initially suspected the animal was the victim of a dog attack but the foal's owner said she has never seen anything like this attack and fears the young foal may have been the victim of a wild animal.
The attack took place only about 25 miles from where a lion or puma-type big cat was reportedly seen by a lorry driver a week ago.
Heartbroken Mellissa Press, 33, from Carn Brea Village in Cornwall, discovered her beloved foal Cinders ravaged on Monday night.
Cinders, who wasn't even a month old, was lying dead with chunks of flesh missing from her side exposing her rib cage, her neck and her face.
Mellissa said: "I just don't understand what has happened.
"I've kept horses since I was 13 and have never come across anything like this.
"My ex-partner went to check on Cinders and rang and said she was dead. At first I didn't believe him but I then went up and found her lying in the field."
Mellissa at first suspected Cinders had been the victim of a dog attack but said she doesn't believe the foal's wounds match with those of such an attack.
"Dog attacks are usually messy with puncture wounds and scratches but I didn't find any of those on Cinders," she added.
"She also has a load of flesh missing from her back and spine. She was in a field with two other horses but must have wandered away and became easy pickings."
Mellissa says she found a couple of fencing panels along the perimeter of the field the horses were being kept in had been smashed and also a large animal footprint.
She said: "I have a big dog and its footprint was literally half the size of the one I found in my field.
"It's heart-breaking but I need to stay strong for my children, we also have a English Spring Spaniel Harley that has been missing for more than a year that we are continuing to search for."
A lorry driver had recently reported seeing a big cat in Clay Country near St Austell. A dead dear was also found nearby leading experts to state that a big cat living in Cornwall is a possibility.
Mellissa has said that she isn't sure what caused Cinders' death but wouldn't rule out animal attack or foul play as possible causes.
Both her daughter Leahney and friend Beth Tonkin have also spoken of their anguish.
Leahney said: "The night before she passed away Beth and I were just starting to gain Cinders' trust and I'm so sad the opportunity has passed."
Beth added: "We all loved here so much and will miss her dearly. It is such a shame she has passed and it's so bad that someone or something has done that to her."
...
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/did...ted-in-field/story-29585955-detail/story.html
Photos on page, including a really graphic one (which is covered unless you choose to see it) of the dead foal.
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Maybe. Do foals often die suddenly?
She was seen alive the previous evening.
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There has been another sighting of the Cornish puma close to Truro
By CG_Dan | Posted: August 10, 2016
Another sighting of the Cornish puma has been reported – this time near Truro.
The animal was first spotted by a lorry driver on a private road near an Imerys clay pit close to St Austell.
Police were called and searched for supposed big cat but couldn't find anything other than mysterious footprints where the animal crossed road.
Further sightings of the animal were reported in a tree on the A390 at St Austell and another on the bank of the River Lynher near St. Germans.
And big cat enthusiasts say they reckon the animal is a puma or mountain lion.
Now Andrew Miller, who has a cottage on the Lizard, thinks he spotted the beast on the A390 between Truro and Grampound.
"My conscience would eat at me if I didn't say what I saw," he said. "If something happened in the area to a child I wouldn't be able to forgive myself, if it took a child from a pram or something.
"I saw a wild cat. It was very, very distinct and was no more than 15 feet away from me. This cat was running and what I noticed about it was its foreleg was right out in front and its tail was straight out behind.
"There was no way you could make it something else. It had a thorny colour and had a sort of mottled coat, it seemed like it was a young animal.
"The ears weren't long or floppy or anything, they were pointed."
http://www.westbriton.co.uk/there-h...ose-to-truro/story-29606244-detail/story.html
By CG_Dan | Posted: August 10, 2016
Another sighting of the Cornish puma has been reported – this time near Truro.
The animal was first spotted by a lorry driver on a private road near an Imerys clay pit close to St Austell.
Police were called and searched for supposed big cat but couldn't find anything other than mysterious footprints where the animal crossed road.
Further sightings of the animal were reported in a tree on the A390 at St Austell and another on the bank of the River Lynher near St. Germans.
And big cat enthusiasts say they reckon the animal is a puma or mountain lion.
Now Andrew Miller, who has a cottage on the Lizard, thinks he spotted the beast on the A390 between Truro and Grampound.
"My conscience would eat at me if I didn't say what I saw," he said. "If something happened in the area to a child I wouldn't be able to forgive myself, if it took a child from a pram or something.
"I saw a wild cat. It was very, very distinct and was no more than 15 feet away from me. This cat was running and what I noticed about it was its foreleg was right out in front and its tail was straight out behind.
"There was no way you could make it something else. It had a thorny colour and had a sort of mottled coat, it seemed like it was a young animal.
"The ears weren't long or floppy or anything, they were pointed."
http://www.westbriton.co.uk/there-h...ose-to-truro/story-29606244-detail/story.html
Eponastill
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It had a thorny colour? What on earth's that? Do they mean fawn? Or is this a colour I should have heard of before. I feel like I'm having one of those daft moments.
I like my ABCs jet black myself. With glowing eyes.
I like my ABCs jet black myself. With glowing eyes.
JamesWhitehead
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Returning from an unsuccessful Boggart-hunt in the Clough on Sunday evening, I was rewarded by the sight of a big black cat on the way home. It was prowling near the stream in the woodland on the other side of Rochdale Road, next to Middleton Old Road, where I was just above it on the pavement.
It was only a feral moggie, I'm sure, collarless and with bright yellow eyes. Its length was somewhat exaggerated by the long, flat and matted tail. We surveyed each other guardedly for a long few seconds then it hurried on its way. Though I had a damn fine close-up view of it, I would be hard-pressed to say what its exact size was.
It was only a feral moggie, I'm sure, collarless and with bright yellow eyes. Its length was somewhat exaggerated by the long, flat and matted tail. We surveyed each other guardedly for a long few seconds then it hurried on its way. Though I had a damn fine close-up view of it, I would be hard-pressed to say what its exact size was.
OneWingedBird
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Eponastill
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"Unfortunately we don’t have a photograph. It was about half a mile away."
Half a mile hahahahah. Hilarious.
Would have made a brilliant photo too. All five pixels of it at that distance.
My sister and I carried out a little experiment a while back (I'm sure I reported on it here, but I can't find it) where we walked out various distances to see what we could distinguish (facial features, colours of clothing etc) and you'd be surprised how rapidly you can't really see a thing.
If an animal is half a mile away in a field, what on earth have you got to judge its size accurately by. It's just not possible. You'd be lucky to distinguish its colour properly. If you don't mind me saying, half a mile is bloody miles away.
I've been trying to find a picture of 'half a mile' and I could only find this. It makes me want to go out and give it another try.
http://www.groundcontrol.com/images/Trailer_half_mile_wireless_hotspot.jpg
It might well have been a cat (obviously a zoology graduate has special dibs on cat-distinguishing 'but I used to work in a zoo'..) but why should it have been a big cat?
(I do wish they existed in the Merrily Harpur daimonic weirdness way. But one has to be a bit sceptical eh).
Half a mile hahahahah. Hilarious.
Would have made a brilliant photo too. All five pixels of it at that distance.
My sister and I carried out a little experiment a while back (I'm sure I reported on it here, but I can't find it) where we walked out various distances to see what we could distinguish (facial features, colours of clothing etc) and you'd be surprised how rapidly you can't really see a thing.
If an animal is half a mile away in a field, what on earth have you got to judge its size accurately by. It's just not possible. You'd be lucky to distinguish its colour properly. If you don't mind me saying, half a mile is bloody miles away.
I've been trying to find a picture of 'half a mile' and I could only find this. It makes me want to go out and give it another try.
http://www.groundcontrol.com/images/Trailer_half_mile_wireless_hotspot.jpg
It might well have been a cat (obviously a zoology graduate has special dibs on cat-distinguishing 'but I used to work in a zoo'..) but why should it have been a big cat?
(I do wish they existed in the Merrily Harpur daimonic weirdness way. But one has to be a bit sceptical eh).
Last edited:
oldrover
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Absolutely.
The only thing I would say, is that there's no way of knowing how accurately he judged 'half a mile'. It may have been way out either way.
I haven't got a reference at hand, but somewhere I read that witnesses tend to under estimate distance. Or at least get it wildly wrong.
RaM
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Returning from an unsuccessful Boggart-hunt in the Clough on Sunday evening, I was rewarded by the sight of a big black cat on the way home. It was prowling near the stream in the woodland on the other side of Rochdale Road, next to Middleton Old Road, where I was just above it on the pavement.
A few years back a friend now no longer with us told me a tale about Boggart Hole Clough he said at the time
there was a old derelict house or building on the site and the local copper who he knew had been told to have
a look at goings on reported there, but he would not set foot in the place on his own, so my friend went with
him on several occasions, he said the place was full of strange noises and creaking doors but he felt that it was to do with tunnels under the place rather than the supernatural,
JamesWhitehead
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There is a lot of lore about the Clough and it's often hard to pin down. There are, however, early, detailed accounts of the poltergeist which maybe set off the legends. I've been digging into it this year and may start a thread devoted to the Clough. At the moment, I've spread my comments in a number of places. 