Stampede blamed on big cat

Published Date: 12 February 2009
Derbyshire Times

BIG cat researchers are appealing for sightings of the animals after a farmer's cows were spooked and he found a large pawprint in mud.

Peter Ward came across the print in a field close to where he keeps cattle on his land at Barrel Farm, Millers Green, near Wirksworth

He had gone to call the cows in for milking but dicovered them missing.

They had crashed through a metal gate and were found in the corner of a field across the road.

He said: "They had obviously been frightened by something unusual. I couldn't imagine anything frightening them that much they would try to get through the gate."

Peter (55) looked for evidence of what could have spooked the cows and was amazed to find a three-inch pawprint nearby.

"The first thing I thought was that it was a big dog, then when I looked closely I began to realise what it might be," Peter said.

"It was quite a shock."

He did some research into paw prints on the internet and thinks his print was from a big cat – possibly a puma or a lynx.

Since Peter's discovery, in January, there has been a further sighting, by a dog walker, of a big cat near his land and a couple from Whatstandwell reported seeing a large, black cat and paw prints.

Peter reported his discovery to police and the research group Big Cats in Britain and has since been visited by the group's Derbyshire representative Susan Brown.

She said that there have been over 60 big cat sightings in Derbyshire since 2000, many of them around Wirksworth, Whatstandwell and along the A515.

She urges anyone who thinks they see evidence of a big cat to report it at www.bigcatsinbritain.org or call 07766 416211.

Derbyshire Times