Welsh bushcrafters beware !!!!!!!!

[Gill]

A credible sighting , i would,nt fancy this on the prowl when i was in my hammock .:yikes:
http://news.aol.co.uk/uk-news/story/ex-policeman-in-big-cat-sighting/1546177

 

[John Fenna]

Yup - not far from me.....
I have in the past seen very large pad marks - similar in size and shape to the leopard prints I saw in S. Africa and I had a glimpse - just a glimpse - of a large black feline near where I live.
The local name for this not too rarely seen beast is "The Beast of Boncath" Boncath being the village 2 miles from my house.
Despite livestock predation being put down to TBoB no humans have yet been attacked...... I stress "yet"

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Cool !! Need to get an extra large tin of kitty food.....

 

[MK123]

Yup - not far from me.....
I have in the past seen very large pad marks - similar in size and shape to the leopard prints I saw in S. Africa and I had a glimpse - just a glimpse - of a large black feline near where I live.
The local name for this not too rarely seen beast is "The Beast of Boncath" Boncath being the village 2 miles from my house.
Despite livestock predation being put down to TBoB no humans have yet been attacked...... I stress "yet"

Hmmm..... last I heard it was supposed to live in princes gate, and despite the sunday telegraph tracking and bating it for a week across our land and neighbours, nothing!

 

[John Fenna]

Tese beggars have large territories and move around a lot - there is pleanty of cover and food for them!
I live near an active badger set - but raely see them.
I paddle on the Tivy - but rarely see the famous otters.
Rare beasts are seen....rarely!

 

[DanBow]

oh come on! This is just a fairy tale! The blokes name is Disney!!!!!!!

 

[Ph34r]

Anybody else find it slightly ironic that he works in the public protection division?

 

[The Big Lebowski]

A shooting friend spotted one around 5 years ago just on the outskirts of Monmouthshire with NV walking down a country lane on his shoot....

He said dispite being aprox 100 yards away, it knew he was there and almost belly crawled over the road from field to woodland, the road is 8 feet wide and it measured the exact distance as it crossed.

I very much take his word for it, he's a very straight-laced bloke. It wasn't reported as he had no interest in the media attention which is understandable.

Interesing to see how this one go's.

al.

 

[Retired Member southey]

He is mistaken or a liar, that's my view on the subject.

 

[Ph34r]

He is mistaken or a liar, that's my view on the subject.

Or a stoner!

 

[JonathanD]

Ian Maxwell and Uncle Ray are adamant they are out there. That's good enough for me, they know their stuff and wouldn't go on record like that unless they were 100% certain.

 

[baz p]

I'm a bit unsure of this myself.................but .......anything is possible so lets not get carried away and show us the hard evidence

 

[Retired Member southey]

Ian Maxwell and Uncle Ray are adamant they are out there. That's good enough for me, they know their stuff and wouldn't go on record like that unless they were 100% certain.

I know, and I keep reading stories from other trackers and game keepers but untill I see for my own eyes a clear, in focus and easily provable picture or video of either a live animal or carcass then I can't belive in unsubstantiated sightings and hearsay.

 

[Neumo]

I do love the idea of a few big cats living out in the wild places in the UK. There is enough cover & game for them but you would have thought that there would have been some proof by now; good paw print's, some cat hair on a fence etc...

I have a rabbit shoot on a small estate with an airfield on it. When I was being showed round by the old keeper we got to the far end of the runway, which is surrounded by woods when he said 'This is where me & the lad saw the leopard...' I am thinking, 'Right..' & thought no more of it, as I thought he was having a laugh at my expense. A month later I am layed up at night with the rimmy looking through the NV, waiting for the rabbits to come out again. I hear a sound off to my right & the slight noise of something moving. I turn the rifle round, look through the NV and see a medium sized anaimal with 2 big eyes at the front slowly walking towards me.... Oh S*** I start thinking... What seemed like ages later I get a better view & see it's a labrador dog from one of the estate cottages who was out on the prowl, who was probably out after rabbits as well. You laugh afterwards but it was not fun for the few seconds I could not make out the shape & your mind starts thinking about big cats...

 

[Barn Owl]

I've seen a glimpse of 'something' in an area where sightings are common.

I've said it before on here...

On a shout to a village on the Ayrshire/D&G boundary (ex police),I saw eyeshine and a large cat shape enter the long grass off the road.
What i noticed was the size and then the length of tail that had a club end.

I believe it was a big cat.

I'm more worried about the flippin' Wallabys on the L Lomond islands mind,they do try and interact by stealing your grub!

Gill will back me up on that one about the 'roos btw.

 

[hertsboy]

I wild camp alone regularly in Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire, Mid Wales and Dartmoor. I'm not that worried about the beasties being around as I work on the principle that they are more scared of me than I am of them! At least I hope they are!

I did hear a very loud roar just before dusk, just a few yards from my bivvy spot in the woods near the Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor last summer. Didn't see anything though. Must admit it did scare me a bit for a minute. but I heard no more and I soon settled down again.

I think things like that are a lot more frightening when we are sitting at home thinking about them than they are when we are out there in the wilds.

 

[ickyan]

I wild camp alone regularly in Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire, Mid Wales and Dartmoor. I'm not that worried about the beasties being around as I work on the principle that they are more scared of me than I am of them! At least I hope they are!

I did hear a very loud roar just before dusk, just a few yards from my bivvy spot in the woods near the Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor last summer. Didn't see anything though. Must admit it did scare me a bit for a minute. but I heard no more and I soon settled down again.

I think things like that are a lot more frightening when we are sitting at home thinking about them than they are when we are out there in the wilds.

Don't be too confident!!!

 

[Barn Owl]

We're alright...

Keep your knife or axe to hand always...sorted.

I heard the awful screams of a mating and fighting pair of foxes today,managed to see them scrap then be lovey dovey today.
Different thing hearing them at night when they wake you though..

 

[Harley]

He is mistaken or a liar, that's my view on the subject.

For the sake of discussion, reverse the question: You prove to me that there are NO big cats in the UK.

Can you, or is there is too much evidence to the contrary?

If you are testing an argument or theory, always reverse your question - if you think something may exist, ask yourself to prove that it does NOT exist and work from that perspective.

 

[silvergirl]

I can't really see there being big cats surrviving in this country now, we managed to exterminate the wolf and are paranoid about the simple fox and badger.

However as a child my parents always told me to be on gaurd in the woods, as one of my dads friends had had a panther that had to 'disappear' when the dangerous wild animals act came in. It was apparently quite happy to disappear,
out the back gate...