Not personally had a sighting, but my dads boss saw one years ago. He was never one to bulls##t, broad daylight sighting can't remember what colour it was but said it was labrador size. Definitely not a dog from it's walk he said. Saw a picture of a deer hung up in a tree in Dalby Forest, it must've been 8foot up the tree. There was huge claw marks up the trunk. Another friend followed something down a forest track one night, said he was doing 30mph and this 'thing' was keeping in front of him easily. They ARE out there.
In reply to Post #1
Back in the late 80s or so I was deployed with other Royal Marines to hunt down the 'Beast of Exmoor'
Local farmers were losing one or two lambs a night, they had seen a large cat and in their experience the carcasses left behind were not dog or fox kills. The carcasses I saw had their necks broken and were virtually picked clean, also a lamb which survived an attack was left with no ears and a 4" strip of skin missing from its head.
From day one we plotted the lamb kills on a map and it was obvious this animal was moving from the farm areas towards the main Moor.
I never saw it, or fired a shot, but it was the only time I had a loaded rifle on mainland UK, other than a range of course.
I guess we spent about 4 weeks in total in pursuit of it, until it obviously got to the main Moor and attacks on animals on farmland ceased. No doubt it continued to kill on the Moor but these areas are less populated and kills would be also less obvious.
My only doubt about their existence is the lack of a decent photo, especially as nowadays most have excellent camera phones!
As Mulder and Scully would say " The truth is out there "
Back in the late 80s or so I was deployed with other Royal Marines to hunt down the 'Beast of Exmoor'
Local farmers were losing one or two lambs a night, they had seen a large cat and in their experience the carcasses left behind were not dog or fox kills. The carcasses I saw had their necks broken and were virtually picked clean, also a lamb which survived an attack was left with no ears and a 4" strip of skin missing from its head.
From day one we plotted the lamb kills on a map and it was obvious this animal was moving from the farm areas towards the main Moor.
I never saw it, or fired a shot, but it was the only time I had a loaded rifle on mainland UK, other than a range of course.
I guess we spent about 4 weeks in total in pursuit of it, until it obviously got to the main Moor and attacks on animals on farmland ceased. No doubt it continued to kill on the Moor but these areas are less populated and kills would be also less obvious.
My only doubt about their existence is the lack of a decent photo, especially as nowadays most have excellent camera phones!
As Mulder and Scully would say " The truth is out there "
In reply to Post #17
That's fantastic info..
I knew all about the marines involvement, and remember it well.i also have seen what the farmers and others describe,because it happened to me..
One night,I was under the brolly,same brolly as pictured recently in the Bitech thread I started. Behind me in what still is a sheep field,was a massive flock of sheep.About 1am they seemed to be all huddled up ,top end of the big field,they were definitely agitated for sure..At first I thought it a fox or sheep stealers,as I have seen that before,whole flocks stolen..Anyway approx three to four AM,I heard this unholy death scream,sounding very human like...I can tell you,I make light of things on here,but I don't scare easily ,would challenge something or someone no problem..I'm more at home at night than day,I'm known for it..
However,every fibre in my body told me don't move,don't make a sound..then my pod got knocked over,rods all ,on the deck,luckily,the soft grass didn't damage my gear as I found out,but something big had got caught in the Bitech leads..
Morning came,behind my old 45 inch brolly,with homesewn Nash velcro storm sides was a big ewe,blood everywhere,and her lamb trying to nudge and suckle from her ripped body.
I will never forget it...I have pictures of two of the biggest pawprints from behind my bivvy last year,a few have seen these pics...they all say fcuk me,when they see them..
I keep an open mind,I question everything, but there are big cats out there...for sure...
That's fantastic info..
I knew all about the marines involvement, and remember it well.i also have seen what the farmers and others describe,because it happened to me..
One night,I was under the brolly,same brolly as pictured recently in the Bitech thread I started. Behind me in what still is a sheep field,was a massive flock of sheep.About 1am they seemed to be all huddled up ,top end of the big field,they were definitely agitated for sure..At first I thought it a fox or sheep stealers,as I have seen that before,whole flocks stolen..Anyway approx three to four AM,I heard this unholy death scream,sounding very human like...I can tell you,I make light of things on here,but I don't scare easily ,would challenge something or someone no problem..I'm more at home at night than day,I'm known for it..
However,every fibre in my body told me don't move,don't make a sound..then my pod got knocked over,rods all ,on the deck,luckily,the soft grass didn't damage my gear as I found out,but something big had got caught in the Bitech leads..
Morning came,behind my old 45 inch brolly,with homesewn Nash velcro storm sides was a big ewe,blood everywhere,and her lamb trying to nudge and suckle from her ripped body.
I will never forget it...I have pictures of two of the biggest pawprints from behind my bivvy last year,a few have seen these pics...they all say fcuk me,when they see them..
I keep an open mind,I question everything, but there are big cats out there...for sure...
In reply to Post #18
Now you can't post that and not show us the photos!!
I love a proper mystery like this. Our countryside used to be home to the European wild cat so it's not too much of a stretch to believe that the beast of bodmin or the Surrey puma might be real...
Now you can't post that and not show us the photos!!
I love a proper mystery like this. Our countryside used to be home to the European wild cat so it's not too much of a stretch to believe that the beast of bodmin or the Surrey puma might be real...
In whatever form they take,they are real.
My wife has seen one
My once sceptic fishing mate,moorland born n bred seen one
I have seen them,had in total two behind me 20 plus years apart
A syndicate member seen one in Broad daylight by the lake
My son seen the back end of one, tail only a coupla days ago,I seen the whole frame of it
Then there was the two Pumas kept locally ,when the dangerous wild animals act came into force,they just disappeared, I later heard the powers that be were euthanasing nearly all of them due to rehoming and captivity issues,so these two pets ,just went, I remember them well as he charged the holiday people to sit and have pics taken,they were never seen again,his babies,I wondered if he worried about em being killed ,so let em go on the cliffs,lotta deer and copses around,that's where I saw my first sighting many years ago..in a quarry nearby..
There are two trusted members on this forum,that have seen my pics,that's good enough for me,I got nothing to gain,prove or other and I'm not bothered if people don't believe me..I just find it fascinating that such a big creature remains elusive,or creatures
I've seen em,lots have..!
My wife has seen one
My once sceptic fishing mate,moorland born n bred seen one
I have seen them,had in total two behind me 20 plus years apart
A syndicate member seen one in Broad daylight by the lake
My son seen the back end of one, tail only a coupla days ago,I seen the whole frame of it
Then there was the two Pumas kept locally ,when the dangerous wild animals act came into force,they just disappeared, I later heard the powers that be were euthanasing nearly all of them due to rehoming and captivity issues,so these two pets ,just went, I remember them well as he charged the holiday people to sit and have pics taken,they were never seen again,his babies,I wondered if he worried about em being killed ,so let em go on the cliffs,lotta deer and copses around,that's where I saw my first sighting many years ago..in a quarry nearby..
There are two trusted members on this forum,that have seen my pics,that's good enough for me,I got nothing to gain,prove or other and I'm not bothered if people don't believe me..I just find it fascinating that such a big creature remains elusive,or creatures
I've seen em,lots have..!
In reply to Post #20
Some of these animals come out only at night and it is really almost impossible to see them during day... I can take you to woods where hunting for boars is normal thing during the night but 1000s people going in to pick mushrooms, blueberries etc will never see one in years and years and they are big loud animals when they move...
Some of these animals come out only at night and it is really almost impossible to see them during day... I can take you to woods where hunting for boars is normal thing during the night but 1000s people going in to pick mushrooms, blueberries etc will never see one in years and years and they are big loud animals when they move...
The Dangerous Animal Act came in many years ago, when pets were 100% released, the fact that big cats are still getting seen means that there is a viable breeding population.
From memory the range of a big cats territory means that you would only need three creatures for their territories to cover the whole length of England and yet overlap.
I've spoken to a few people who say they've seen them in Essex and on my village Facebook page a couple of years ago several dog walkers said that they saw a big cat. This was over a couple of days, and then nothing seen again.
From memory the range of a big cats territory means that you would only need three creatures for their territories to cover the whole length of England and yet overlap.
I've spoken to a few people who say they've seen them in Essex and on my village Facebook page a couple of years ago several dog walkers said that they saw a big cat. This was over a couple of days, and then nothing seen again.
Andy n Darkol,great info..specially about territory size..
In reply to Post #1
In the 1980's I lived and worked in North Devon, Horns Cross, just outside Bideford. One evening in 1984 I was driving back "up country" to visit friends. I left just before midnight and it was the early hours of the morning as I approaching South Molton. This was before the A39 improvements, I was the only vehicle on the road at this hour and was somewhere close to the South Aller entrance I think, when I saw two very large eyes reflecting back at me from a little way ahead. Thinking it was someone's dog on the loose, I slowed to little more than a walking pace. I still thought it was a dog as it's size was similar to a Doberman. I was under 40 yards away when it turned sideways on. I recall vividly the hair standing up on the back of my neck at it's appearance; short sleek black fur, long tail and CLEARLY feline in every way. It took two steps, crouched and leapt with astounding agility up onto the bank and through a gap in the hedge and was gone. I fished many, many nights in that period and countless pre dawn starts all around the county but that was my one and only sighting...but I will swear on any bible and in any court that I saw a big cat that night.
In the 1980's I lived and worked in North Devon, Horns Cross, just outside Bideford. One evening in 1984 I was driving back "up country" to visit friends. I left just before midnight and it was the early hours of the morning as I approaching South Molton. This was before the A39 improvements, I was the only vehicle on the road at this hour and was somewhere close to the South Aller entrance I think, when I saw two very large eyes reflecting back at me from a little way ahead. Thinking it was someone's dog on the loose, I slowed to little more than a walking pace. I still thought it was a dog as it's size was similar to a Doberman. I was under 40 yards away when it turned sideways on. I recall vividly the hair standing up on the back of my neck at it's appearance; short sleek black fur, long tail and CLEARLY feline in every way. It took two steps, crouched and leapt with astounding agility up onto the bank and through a gap in the hedge and was gone. I fished many, many nights in that period and countless pre dawn starts all around the county but that was my one and only sighting...but I will swear on any bible and in any court that I saw a big cat that night.
In reply to Post #24
I saw a big cat 'lynx' on a sunbury lake many moons ago, the next day i returned to the lake and found a decapitated swan where i originally saw the big cat. I've also seen a big black puma type cat on Bagshot heath, the wife also saw one the size of an Alsatian dog with its tail slightly upturned near the ground on the heath, and finally saw another big black cat near Fetcham walking across a field that when i looked online, there was many reported sightings of the same cat in a similar area
I saw a big cat 'lynx' on a sunbury lake many moons ago, the next day i returned to the lake and found a decapitated swan where i originally saw the big cat. I've also seen a big black puma type cat on Bagshot heath, the wife also saw one the size of an Alsatian dog with its tail slightly upturned near the ground on the heath, and finally saw another big black cat near Fetcham walking across a field that when i looked online, there was many reported sightings of the same cat in a similar area
I believe I saw what looked like a big cat, was about 10 years ago now, whilst leaving my local lake. It was about 6.30am and I'd just got back in the car after locking the gate, I looked across the grass field back towards the small river that runs beside the lake, and what appeared to be a large black cat appeared from the trees on the left and slowly walked across the field, stopping every so often to sniff the floor, I sat in the car and watched it for a good 5 minutes, before I couldn't see it anymore.
I'm convinced it was a puma/or panther, I'm not sure if anyone else in the area has ever seen it, not that anyone's I've ever told believes me.
I'm convinced it was a puma/or panther, I'm not sure if anyone else in the area has ever seen it, not that anyone's I've ever told believes me.
Keep em coming chaps ,really interesting thread,,
In reply to Post #28
Ha,ha brilliant..I get like that when I'm after a pasty..
Ha,ha brilliant..I get like that when I'm after a pasty..
In reply to Post #28
Special effects back then were out of this world lol. Take you fur coat off and let's **** off
Good film at the time, stay off the moor and stick to the roads. Or when it bites the head off.outside the cinema lol
I used to be a werewolve but I'm alright Nowooooooohhhhh
Think you have solved the riddle there Ken
Special effects back then were out of this world lol. Take you fur coat off and let's **** off
Good film at the time, stay off the moor and stick to the roads. Or when it bites the head off.outside the cinema lol
I used to be a werewolve but I'm alright Nowooooooohhhhh
Think you have solved the riddle there Ken