Mark Burrows goes on the trail of the big cats of Dorset

Photo by Coffy Motiondesign
On the prowl
Mark Burrows goes on the trail of the big cats of Dorset

‘I am absolutely a hundred per cent sure that what I saw was a panther,’ insisted eyewitness Mark Dawson of the animal he spotted near Dorchester football club in August 2007. Like others who claim to have recently spotted a similar beast in the Dorchester vicinity, he was convinced it was not a dog. Other details, including the lengthy tail and the general posture, provide some substance to Mr Dawson’s perception.

Sightings of felid phantasms stalking Great Britain have surged since the mid 1970s. Dorset, if not as prolific as Devon and Cornwall, has had more than enough to attract the interest of committed trackers of Alien Big Cats, as they are often termed, including the police. According to their wildlife officer, PC John Snellin, ABC sightings in Dorset average around 30 per year.

In 2005, sightings around Bournemouth and Poole prompted Dorset Police to issue a plea to holidaymakers to dial 999 if a suspect animal was observed. This spate included a supposed puma present in Bournemouth’s West Cliff Road. Lately, Wareham and Purbeck have not been neglected by big cats as suitable habitat, according to reports. Further west, a mystery cat was seen with increasing frequency near the village of Broadwindsor. It was described as being the size of an Alsatian dog, and sightings of it spread to the Beaminster and Bridport localities.

Often providing conflicting reports of colour and size, some witnesses have insisted that they not only unequivocally saw a puma but also heard it roar. This is an impossibility: pumas, despite their size, cannot create the roaring sound with their throat apparatus. Furthermore, many people do not realize that a black panther is a leopard with a genetic mutation causing the overall darkening of hair pigment, which is termed melanism.

Full story here: http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/articles/ArticlesDetail.asp?ID=802