Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat

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Fri 2 Jul 2010 15:09
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - oilrag

Ever seen one, or heard of someone seeing one perhaps?

I don`t mean like the enormous tabby cat, round as a barrel - with a leg at each corner and weighing in at four times normal weight - that I once encountered on house calls.

(Yes, really. In the end a dog got into the enclosed rear garden and it couldn`t jump...)

But Black Panthers stalking Dartmoor or the New Forest at night. Perhaps the South Downs too - who knows?I knew someone once who was sure he had seen one - a reliable bloke too, not given to wild speculation. (Though that was in Yorkshire and it could have been a Tiger with it`s stripes masked by coal dust and soot.)

But would you really walk the South Downs at night? - alone and with the hairs pricking on the back of your neck as a trickle of sweat runs down your back.

Was that the sound of something big slobbering and licking it`s chops? Or a figment of the imagination.

Funny how it feels a lot better if you are doing that with your mate. Fear seems to go away and you know that at worst one of you could get a head lock on it, while the other got it`s legs in a Half Nelson.

Well, there may or may not be big cats in the UK. The instinctive fear response is still there though if you walk in a remote forest or on a moor alone at night.

Ever done that and had that `somethings there` response from your central nervous system?

I have and I won`t be doing it again as I`m chicken.

oilrag

Edited by oilrag on 02/07/2010 at 15:50

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Mon 26 Jul 2010 23:48
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - Glenn 42

Seemingly a black panther was spotted in the grounds of a hospital in Carlisle and never seen again, maybe it was a Dobermann on the loose, but you can never be certain. I do think a few large cats could have escaped from private zoos, but it's a bit of a Loch Ness monster one this.

Actually America has several thousand cougars in the Western states and the chances of being attacked are very small as once they've decided to chew on some deer for the day, they're not that interested and are very unlikely to attack if you're in a group or are sleeping off their kill. I think the number of fatalities in the last 10 years is still in single figures.

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Sun 1 Aug 2010 15:58
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - Glenn 42

Seemingly another big cat was spotted in Cumbria. I reckon they do exist but as they are elusive creatures a lot of people consider them a myth.

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Fri 18 Jan 2013 20:35
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - drogers

I saw a very very large black 'cat' in September 2003.

A few months later one or two others had notified the local paper, I had never mentioned what I saw for fear of ridicule, but believe me this was no dog nor a normal cat

It is even at a distance quite a shock.

Trust me Im 65 years old worked for 48 years (several years as police officer) all my senses eyes etc all work as they should and Ive been around a bit, I have never seen anything move and jump onto a willow tree large branch like this animal did.

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Fri 18 Jan 2013 20:35
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - drogers

Duplicate post.

Edited by Avant on 18/01/2013 at 21:19

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Fri 18 Jan 2013 20:41
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - Bromptonaut

Cannot rule out the odd 'pet panther' or whatever gone feral but if they were breeding/spreading they'd soon turn up as roadkill.

The fact that they don't makes me pretty sceptical.

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Sat 26 Jan 2013 21:11
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - focussed

I know for a fact that there was a puma loose in the wild in north Norfolk.

A guy who I used to employ in the 1990's lived in a rented cottage next to a farm pretty much out in the sticks. The farmer kept a puma in a cage as a pet. When some sort of legislation came into effect around that time the puma was simply let loose into the wild and our guy was advised by the farmer not to go walking around at night. At the same time screaming noises and wild animal type calls were heard in the locality at night. As he and his wife had a young baby they moved away from that area asap, and managed to get into a housing association house on a modern estate near a small town.Some time later there were reports in local papers of sightings of a large cat-like animal around that part of the county.

So some of these sightings may not be down to too much beer and overactive imaginations!

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Sun 27 Jan 2013 22:16
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - Bromptonaut

I wouldn't exlude the possibility of an odd release or escapee living a feral life.

OTOH if these things were present and breeding the first place they'd turn up would be as road kill.

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Wed 30 Jan 2013 20:45
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - Leif
The farmer kept a puma in a cage as a pet. When some sort of legislation came into effect around that time the puma was simply let loose into the wild and our guy was advised by the farmer not to go walking around at night.

I struggle to believe that story. Do you really think someone would let loose an animal that could kill a small child?

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Mon 4 Feb 2013 13:51
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - focussed
The farmer kept a puma in a cage as a pet. When some sort of legislation came into effect around that time the puma was simply let loose into the wild and our guy was advised by the farmer not to go walking around at night.

I struggle to believe that story. Do you really think someone would let loose an animal that could kill a small child?

Don't forget this is North Norfolk - not heavily populated, very rural, heavily wooded in parts.

I had no reason to disbelieve the guy - he wasn't too pleased at having to move so quickly and I helped him with references so's he could get the house away from that place.

And there have been fairly recent sightings of the usual "large cat-like animal" near to Blickling Hall and Holt, could it be same one?

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Mon 4 Feb 2013 16:35
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - galileo

I struggle to believe that story. Do you really think someone would let loose an animal that could kill a small child?

Given the number of d***heads I see using mobile phones while they drive along (badly) I can believe any kind of thoughtless and irresponsible behaviour which is a danger to other people.

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Wed 6 Feb 2013 22:06
Dartmoor at night - the hungry big cat - ohsoslow

Following the legislation that Leif refered to, there were many reports of non-native animals being released into the wild, as well as big cats there were other beasties such as wallabies which managed to thrive in certain areas.

We used to live on the western edge of Dartmoor and traveling back over the moors between Postbridge and Two Bridges from Exeter was especially spooky, certainly on a misty but moonlit night. (Hairy Hand territory for those who know Dartmoor folklore).

Most of the glowing reflections of eyes would have been sheep, cattle or ponies which seemed to congregate on or near the roads at night, but there were times they didn't look right. They could of course have been something like a fox or badger.

At the time my wife had a convertible with a very flimsy roof which we decided would not have been very pleasant had it broken down on that part of the moors, this was before the days of mobile phones.

Edited by ohsoslow on 06/02/2013 at 22:11

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