• Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech
Stories from SWNS
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    N’Gunu Tiny on why Africa must create impact investment opportunities that improve social mobility

    N’Gunu Tiny on why Africa must create impact investment opportunities that improve social mobility

    Meet Denise E. Jacobs – The medium with a vital message to save mankind

    Meet Denise E. Jacobs – The medium with a vital message to save mankind

    IRONING By Navajo

    IRONING By Navajo

    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why it’s time for the global cosmetics industry to turn to bioplastics

    Why it’s time for the global cosmetics industry to turn to bioplastics

    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    N’Gunu Tiny on why Africa must create impact investment opportunities that improve social mobility

    N’Gunu Tiny on why Africa must create impact investment opportunities that improve social mobility

    Meet Denise E. Jacobs – The medium with a vital message to save mankind

    Meet Denise E. Jacobs – The medium with a vital message to save mankind

    IRONING By Navajo

    IRONING By Navajo

    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why it’s time for the global cosmetics industry to turn to bioplastics

    Why it’s time for the global cosmetics industry to turn to bioplastics

    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
Stories from SWNS
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Wild big cats roaming British countryside are ‘myth’

by
April 3, 2010
in News
2
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

It’s official – mythical ‘big cats’ which are rumoured to roam the British countryside DO NOT exist, environment officials have ruled.

For centuries there have been thousands of reported ‘sightings’ of large felines on moorland and in woods and fields across the UK.

The large animals – normally black or brown – have been ‘spotted’ in almost every county of the British Isles from Cornwall to the tip of Scotland.

Members of the public have reported seeing large unidentified cat-like creatures stalking the countryside and leaving large paw prints.

Experts claimed the animals could be descended from species like cougars and pumas which were kept as pets before being released into the wild.

The alleged sightings have helped create stories of mythical creatures like the ‘Beast of Bodmin’ – said to prowl Cornwall feasting on sheep.

But a report by the Government’s environment watchdog Natural England has now found there are NO such creatures in the UK.

The agency says it collated records of ”alleged sightings” and investigated ”where necessary” but is ”confident that there are no breeding populations of big cats” in Britain.

Officials examined reported sightings over a ten year period and found it is ”very unlikely that there are any big cats at large in the English countryside”.

Its findings have now been made public in a report released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The report said: ”From time to time we receive occasional reports from members of the public of alleged big cats.

”However, none of the sightings of the big cats has ever been confirmed and the evidence of all the sightings we have been asked to look at have either been inconclusive or attributed to other causes.

”From time to time big cats do escape from zoos and other collections and are usually recaptured very quickly.

”We are confident there are no breeding populations of big cats in this country it is very unlikely that there are any big cats at large in the English countryside.”

The report contained alleged sightings from 2001 to 2007 and a further 32 from 2008 and 2009.

It also listed other exotic species apparently spotted by the public in the British countryside including a coypus – a South American rodent – and a wallaroo, a kind of kangaroo.

The report said: ”Non native species are one of the most serious threats to global biodiversity and it is important we find out about any new threat as early as possible.

”The claimed sightings since 2001 include a wide range of species – chipmunks, coypus, will boar and raccoons.”

But big cat expert Trevor Beer, who has been researching the creatures for thirty years, says Natural England has potentially ”written off” thousands of genuine sightings.

Trevor, of Barnstaple, Devon said: ”The big cats are out there. I don’t know why Natural England is going down this line. They are just making fools of themselves.

”There are no issues with the climate and the cats are living off the fat of the land.”

Hundreds of big cat sightings have been made in Britain and Ireland although photographic or physical evidence has always been inconclusive.

Theories on where they came from vary although many believe they are descended from big cats which were abandoned following the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

The new law clamped down on keeping exotic pets and many owners were thought to have released their animals into the wild where they bred with native cats – creating hybrid animals.

Tags: animalbig catslynxpumawild
Previous Post

Spelling blunder by road sign staff

Next Post

Phantom traffic jams can be caused by just one driver

Next Post

Phantom traffic jams can be caused by just one driver

Comments 2

  1. jimmy says:
    11 years ago

    myth my arse. i saw a big black cougar like cat in the late nighties. it was about 3am in the morning i was taxi driving in chester when i picked up a fare to beeston. i dropped the fare of at a house in the middle of no where. because i was needing to relieve myself ergently i pulled onto a pub car park. leaving my car running lights on etc door open and went towards fence. this is when i came eye to eye with the big cat. and can still see it in my head today.we eyeballed each other it looked at me calm as day as i walked backwards to my car not turning round it just casual strolled away.. i know what i saw was a big cat what type i cant say but werent no pussycat

    Reply
    • wildcatlover says:
      10 years ago

      maybe the cat saw the size of ur tail and was not impressed

      Reply

Leave a Reply to wildcatlover Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 85 Followers
  • 43k Followers
  • 113k Subscribers
  • 23k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

March 5, 2014
The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

January 21, 2014
The horses thunder towards a jump at the Grand National

Amazing racehorse names which never made it

April 23, 2014
HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

January 14, 2019
Chris Fear, 33, outside the Coral betting shop which is refusing to pay out on his 485/1 winning bet

Boycott Coral! Bookmaker faces protest after refusing to pay out on a football fan’s 485/1 bet

184
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

147
Women feel invisible to the opposite sex at the age of 51, researchers found

Women begin feeling invisible to men ‘when they turn 51’

138
UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

105
Best Online Sportsbooks with Fastest Payouts in 2021

Best Online Sportsbooks with Fastest Payouts in 2021

April 20, 2021
Four essential methods for looking after your eyes

Four essential methods for looking after your eyes

April 13, 2021
Time for a Spring Clean? How to Reduce Clutter

Time for a Spring Clean? How to Reduce Clutter

April 13, 2021
Where did the Custom of Sending Greeting Cards Come From?

Where did the Custom of Sending Greeting Cards Come From?

April 13, 2021

Recent News

Best Online Sportsbooks with Fastest Payouts in 2021

Best Online Sportsbooks with Fastest Payouts in 2021

April 20, 2021
Four essential methods for looking after your eyes

Four essential methods for looking after your eyes

April 13, 2021
Time for a Spring Clean? How to Reduce Clutter

Time for a Spring Clean? How to Reduce Clutter

April 13, 2021
Where did the Custom of Sending Greeting Cards Come From?

Where did the Custom of Sending Greeting Cards Come From?

April 13, 2021
SWNS

SWNS all rights reserved. Copyright 2020

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Auto
  • Blog
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Gaming
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Pictures
  • Property
  • Review
  • Sport
  • SWNS
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

Best Online Sportsbooks with Fastest Payouts in 2021

Best Online Sportsbooks with Fastest Payouts in 2021

April 20, 2021
Four essential methods for looking after your eyes

Four essential methods for looking after your eyes

April 13, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.