Big Cats GB - Big Cat Sightings

Warning!! Some images on this page are of a distressing nature.

Please note that the following accounts of Key Investigations are only brief overviews of events and evidence collated.

Key Investigation 1

The following photographs are part of an ongoing investigation being undertaken by myself and Paul Westwood of Big Cat Monitors (see links section above for contact information). In 2006 Paul & I were asked to investigate the mysterious death of two Alpacas taken and killed from out of a fenced compound housing twelve other adult Alpacas. What is remarkable about this is not the damage to the animal (as this is inconlusive) but the nature of an animal being killed. Alpaca’s have been introduced into Great Britain to protect herds of sheep from marauding dogs. Alpaca's will attack dogs and have little or no fear of them. The two dead Alpaca’s, one of which is photographed below, was taken from a herd of twelve Alpaca’s over a large fence. A number of experts in animal behaivour have found this staggering and unlikly to be the work of a dog, or dogs, whatever their size.

After a two day investigation of the area several witnesses were found who had seen a large cat in the area. All were interviewed and all were found credible and knowledgeable in countryside issues. It was agreed with ‘Key Witness A’ that they would keep in touch should matters develop further. Two weeks later the following ram was found dead in the field next to the Alpaca enclosure (see picture below).

After consultations with experts in Big Cat behaivour there is left a strong conviction that a Big Cat has kiled this animal. Paraphrasing their comments it would appear that, ‘a single large cat had killed the ram and had had time to eat the kill at lesure before being disturbed. A dog or several dogs was ruled out due to the clean nature of the area being eaten (no bite marks or damage was found on any other part of the kill)’. Puncture wounds found on the rib cage of the sheep are currently being analysed to see if they match the bite patterns of a large feline preditor. As a footnote several lambs have also been killed after the death of the ram and the investigation continues.

NEW: Key Investigation 2
This investigation is currently ongoing and involves working with the owners (Witness A) of a farm who for a number of years have been regularly experiencing the deaths of their livestock. On two occasions at early dusk they have seen a large black cat with a long tail about the size of a Labrador. A close personal friend whilst riding a horse in a nearby wood was thrown when her horse reared as a very large black cat stepped out in front of the horse when riding down a forest clearing. The owners have involved myself in their experiences after they found their latest dead ewe. The ewe had been killed about 30 yards from the bottom left hand corner of this field (See picture below)
© The photograph above is the property of Darrell Cook and any reproduction of this photograph without my permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
It was then dragged to a small dell hidden by trees with a small stream running through it…this dell is well hidden and can only be seen within ten yards of where the carcass was devoured (See picture below).
© The photograph above is the property of Darrell Cook and any reproduction of this photograph without my permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
This breed of sheep at this age would on average weigh 79Ib the remains of the carcass on the date of the investigation was 19Ib. The sheep, when alive, was noted by the farmers as being a little under the weather at 9pm the previous evening and in the morning the witnesses went to check if the animals possible condition had worsened. What they found was the remains of its carcass with puncture wounds to its neck, its spine broken in two places and several ball and socket joints in its legs cleanly dislocated…no trauma or bite marks were found around the joints. (See picture below).
© The photograph above is the property of Witness 'A' and any reproduction of this photograph without their permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
I inspected the dell for an hour for animal tracks and signs and found no tracks at all…neither fox, badger, dog or cat. This sheep appears initially to have been killed by a bite to the throat and probably then suffocated (See picture below).
© The photograph above is the property of Witness 'A' and any reproduction of this photograph without their permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
As you can see the puncture wound is clearly visible and above this a pressure mark can could be vaguely made out but sadly was not clearly recordable on film. What was recorded in the next photograph were two clear bruises more than 12cm around from the aforementioned clear puncture wound (See picture below).
© The photograph above is the property of Darrell Cook and any reproduction of this photograph without my permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
The next photograph shows the ewe’s neck after it has been skinned and shows the clear haemorrhaging around the windpipe area of the animal….after examination it was found that the windpipe was not crushed or punctured. It is surmised that the predator applied just enough pressure to suffocate the animal. Perhaps thats why the animal did not need to break the skin on the aformentioned photograph? (See photograph below).
© The photograph above is the property of Darrell Cook and any reproduction of this photograph without my permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
However, this may not have been the cause of death as the next photograph shows the spine of the sheep snapped in two close to, but not at, the base of the skull (See photograph below).
© The photograph above is the property of Darrell Cook and any reproduction of this photograph without my permission, in any format, will be deemed a breach of copywrite.
Was the sheep dead or dieing from the broken spine before it was suffocated? Or was the spine broken in the initial attack when the predator affixed itself to the sheep’s windpipe? As I’m not a Big Cat Expert, in any sense of the word, I find the case perplexing and with the undoubted knowledge of the witnesses, the number of Big Cat sightings in the area, and the unlikely cause of this death by a dog (taking into account that no other sheep were damaged during the attack and my investigations of other Big Cat events) perhaps a Big Cat was involved? Further to this during my two day investigation of the area a scat (animal faeces) was found that did not match any I or the farmers had seen before, nor my book on animal tracks and signs. Photographs of the scat have been forwarded to animal experts in the field of Big Cats and should the picture prove to be of interest the scat will be forwarded for examination (the results of this will be placed upon the site once received). The investigation continues.......

Key Investigation 3

A professional person with qualifications very conducive to the identification of cats & dogs (indeed their qualifications & experience are of such a unique nature that they could be used on the witness stand in a legal case). Witness 'A' was out riding their horse along a trail through a local forest. The horse stopped and became very uneasy. About thirty seconds later as witness ‘A’ was trying to reassure the animal a black cat larger than a Labrador, with a very long black tail, walked out into the forest track about 5m in front of witness ‘A’. It stopped in the middle of the track & looked at the horse; it then flicked it tail, and walked into the dense foliage the other side of the trail. When the witness was asked if they could have mistaken the animal for a dog? The witness stated, ‘I clearly know the difference between a cat and a dog’. I again state that witness ‘B’ has highly creditable qualifications and experience to substantiate the aforementioned statement and the sighting as a whole

Key Investigation 4

Once more a highly qualified individual, a specialist whose qualifications include making assessments of animal movement patterns as well as holding a prominent and active fieldwork role within a well known environmental organisation, had a close encounter with a Big Cat whist undertaking an environmental survey. The witness was walking in a valley dotted with woodland. Walking along a hedge-row a very loud and strange ‘cat like scream \ hiss' was heard behind the witness. The witness turned round to see a black cat about the size of a Labrador with pointed ears and a tail as long as its body emerge from a bush which they had just walked past. The cat looked straight at the witness, from a distance of no more than five meters, for about thirty seconds and then turned and walked back into the bushes. The witness was somewhat taken aback and walked away slowly facing the bush the cat had emerged from. Once more to protect the identity and location of the individual more specifics of their expertise in animal identification has been withheld. I have no doubts that their expertise and experience in animal identification makes this person an extremely reliable and credible individual.