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40 Big Cat Sightings Reported In Cumbria
40 BIG CAT SIGHTINGS REPORTED IN CUMBRIA is the name of an article by Matthew Legg that appeared in the News & Star on 15th November 2011.
Police have received 40 reports of big cats roaming the Cumbrian countryside since 2003.
But no evidence has ever been found to back up any of the claims.
The majority refer to big black panther-type creatures or lynxes.
One sighting of a “large black cat” dead beside the M6 was found to be an otter.
And after investigating a report of “big black cat” at Troutbeck Bridge, near Windermere, officers concluded it was probably a badger.
Cumbria Police has thrown open its files on big cat sightings after a request by the News & Star under Freedom of Information rules.
They include:
A “black panther” on the fells at Garrigill, near Alston in 2003.
A “very large cat” at Bewcastle in 2003.
A “large puma-type black cat” near the River Eden at Linstock, Carlisle. in 2003.
A “big cat” which looked like a lynx on the lane leading to Silloth Golf Club in 2003.
A “large wild cat” near the A596 at Wigton in 2003.
A “black panther” near a football pitch on the Great Broughton to Dearham road in 2004.
A “2ft high puma” at Tirril, Penrith, in 2005.
A “lynx” next to the A591 at Applethwaite, near Keswick, in 2005.
A “panther” at Derwentwater, Keswick, in 2006.
A “large black cat” in fields above Townfoot Park, Brampton, in 2007.
A “large black cat” at Port Road business park, Carlisle, in 2009.
A “large black panther cat” at Eastern Way, Carlisle, in 2010.
In 2003, a lion was spotted in a field opposite South Lakes Wild Animal Park at Dalton-in-Furness, near Barrow.
However, officers sent to the scene found no evidence of the animal being there.
Checks at the zoo found that all of its lions were accounted for.
I think that many ABC sightings are a result of mis-identification. I remember having an apparent ABC sighting of my own when out walking with my outdoor sports college group in winter 2009/2010 in the lake district.
There was a lot of snow on the ground and we were traversing a steep slope, moving slowly as we had to kick steps in at some places. There was 8 of us in the party. Ahead of us, a spur came out of the side of the slope. All of a sudden, a black figure shot up the side of the spur ahead of us and down the other side. We all saw it as there were exchanges of looks and exclaimations of "what the hell was that?!" Most of us thought it must have been a big cat, with the agility it moved up the steep, snow covered slope. When we finally arrived at the spur, we diecided to investigate it further, which was very difficult as the spur was very steep and covered in hard, compact snow. By kicking steps, a few of us managed to reach the point where the creature climbed up the slope and found it's tracks. Having a knowledge of tracks, I managed to confirm that it was actually a fox. The contrast with the snow must have made it appear black, and foxes and dogs are almost as agile as cats, which many people are suprised to find out.
As many ABC sightings occur at a distance, it is very difficult to judge size and type of the creature. It may also be the case that people do not investigate these sightings further before reporting them.
It would also be interesting to see what time of day and in what conditions the above sightings were reported. If they were reported at dusk/dawn, it would be tricky to determine colour. Do you have any more information Ian?
Ha-ha!
Love it!
Here is a picture of 9 months old Maine Coon kitten :)
This one is blue, but they do come in black too.
They keep growing till they are 2 years old....
The one spotted in Cumbria (as well as one spotted in Devon a few years back) might be microchipped domestic cuddly purring laidback puss. Lucky owners, but they should've warned neighbourhood and a postmen !
There are definitely "big cats" roaming the countryside, but most sightings tend to be exaggerated to say the least.
Dr Karl Shuker carried out a long investigation in the Midlands (starting with the discovery of the so-called Ludlow Cat as a roadkill, which he acquired and had mounted by a taxidermist) which turned out surprising results.
The Ludlow Cat itself was positevely identified as a pure-blood Jungle Cat (Felis chaus). It pretty much looks like a very large tabby with more powerful teeth, ear tufts and proportionately longer limbs.
Jungle Cats can mate with domestic cats and the offsprings are fertile, so much they are commonly sold as "Chausie".
First generation hybrids tend to resemble a Jungle Cat in general outline but usually lack ear tufts and exhibit an enormous variety of coat colors. Curiously enough melanism is very common among these hybrids.
Second generation hybrids tend to be more akin to domestic/feral cats, the main tell-tale signs being the large size and long limbs.
Not far from where the Ludlow Cat was found, an old lady found a young, starving kitten she took in and simply named "Mother". She was first generation hybrid and proved to be extremely prolific, delivering many large litters, though the other parent was invariably unknown.
Two of her kittens were later traced down (they had been given as pets to a local family) and confirmed to be second generation hybrids.
This of course doesn't mean every single "big cat" sighted in Britain is domestic/Jungle hybrid, just the problem is much more complicated than it seems.
"Louhi spoke in riddled tones of three things to achieve: find and catch the Devil's Moose and bring it here to me. Seize the Stallion born of Fire, harness the Golden Horse. He captured and bound the Moose, he tamed the Golden Horse. Still there remained one final task: hunt for the Bird from the Stream of Death"
-Kalevala, Rune XIII-