Big cats seen in Forest of Dean

From the Western Daily Press: 6 Jan. 2009

There has long been talk of big cats prowling the West Country, now the Foresty Commission has confirmed two sightings of mysterious big cats on its land.

Forestry Commission rangers taking part in a deer survey using thermal imaging cameras spotted the creatures on two separate occasions in different areas of the Forest of Dean, Gloucester.

The Commission revealed details of the sightings under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Deputy surveyor Rob Guest said they were reliable sightings.

"Both were observed at night using heat-activated night vision equipment, used to undertake deer census, so the colour of the animals was not determined," he said.

The first sighting was at the edge of Churchill enclosure east of Parkend in February 2002 and the second was on the southern slopes of Staple Edge in March 2005.

But Mr Guest said there was no sign of large cats during the most recent deer census in March 2008.

Gloucestershire Constabulary has also recorded two credible sightings.

The force's wildlife and environmental crime officer, Mark Robson, agreed with the Forestry Commission evidence.

"I have been looking at big cat sightings since 2002 and believe the two examples to be credible sightings," he said.

"Gloucestershire Constabulary gets around 100 sightings a year from members of the public. Most of these are at some distance, it's very rare to have a close encounter.

"If you suspect you've seen a big cat you should jot down the details and contact the police on 0845 090 1234. We will take sightings seriously and will investigate.

A number of big cat sightings in the Forest of Dean have been reported in recent years.

In November 2006, schoolboys Joe Tingle and Chay Maidment came face-to-face with a large green-eyed animal through undergrowth near Ruspidge.

A survey by the British Big Cats Society reported well over 2,000 suspected big cat sighting across Britain between 2004 and 2005.

Only Devon and Yorkshire recorded more sightings than Gloucestershire among the English counties during this time.

Most wild cat sightings are attributed to panthers, with reports also of their smaller cousin the lynx, once native to this country.

Reasons for their existence in the wild vary from escaped zoo and circus animals to a large release in the 1970s when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was enforced.