Another Big Cat sighting in Glenrothes

From Fife Today: 16 Jan. 2009

THE elusive 'big cat' has been spotted again in Glenrothes.

Glenys McRae was driving along Western Avenue on Friday afternoon when she saw what she believes was the big cat.

She told the Gazette: "I was driving home from work in Cupar, west bound on Western Avenue, just approaching the footbridge, and I saw this large black cat like animal going in and out of the overgrowth, which would be behind the Pitcoudie area.

"It was huge.

"I was about 200 yards away from it in the car, going about 40 to 50 mph, and it still looked rather large to be a normal domestic cat.

"It had a long black tail."

Miss McRae's sighting is the latest of a number in the town over recent years, with several of them being in the north of the town near Gilvenbank Park.

In November school boys Robbie Nelson and Charlie Elder claimed to have spotted the creature in woods on the outskirts of Pitcoudie.

Sightings in Glenrothes date back as far as the 1990s and the increasing number of cases in recent years convinced a police wildlife expert that a big cat is on the prowl out there.

Three years ago, police sent paw prints found in woods near Balbirnie away for expert analysis.

It was later said that the tracks could have been those of a lynx, leading to the animal being dubbed 'The Beast of Balbirnie' after the area in which it was seen.

Miss McCrae added: "The animal I saw was definitely black in colour, it was between the size of a fully grown collie and labrador, but its movements were not like a dog, it was "prowling" in and out of the overgrowth and its tail was very long, feline looking.

"My boyfriend owns a ginger tom cat and its movements looked like his when he is moving through bushes and longer grass but it was very large in comparison.

"I emailed PC Mark Maylin, the wildlife officer, and he informed me that after I spotted the animal there were reports of a swan loose on the same road which was possibly spooked by a predator."