I too have heard of this phenomenon and my PH in Zimbabwe last year had some buddies who were paid to travel to the UK and seek out the possible feline offenders. He gave me the impression that the phenomenon was largely a hoax that his PH buddies were willing to play along with as it meant free trips abroad and payment for their efforts. They apparently said they "suspected a cat was in the area but needed to return in search of more evidence".

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

[ 01-13-2003, 20:39: Message edited by: JohnTheGreek ]

Daily rates and trophy fee please? For me Wales is more practical than Zimbabwe .

Are there any of the smaller big cats (cougars, lynx, bobcat) wild in the UK at all? Just curious. - Dan

This all dates back to the 70's when I change in the law meant a significant tightening of rules surrounding the keeping of "dangerous wild animals". Prior to that, it was quite legal for Joe Public to keep a leopard in his semi and take for a walk in the local park. When the law changed, many such cats were simply released into the countryside, or so the story goes.

A guy who was studying this, an ex zookeeperturn free lance animal trapper, was convinced that 90% of the sighting were junk, but that there was a small breeding population out there. He had personally been called out to look at sheep carcasses which had claw marks consistant with a leapard/cougar size cat. On Dartmoor at least one red deer arcass has been found wedged 20 or so feet up in a tree.

Off the top of my head, to date that I know of at least one (relatively tame) puma that has been caught near Aberdeen and only a few months ago a Lynx was caught in a suburban garden near London.
Both were explained as recent escapees, although nobody owned up to having lost either.

The trouble in the UK is that the subject of big cats tends to attract the same wako's who believe in Aliens, Yetis, Crop Circles and ghosts and every other super natural occurrences.Indeed these people refere to them as ABC or Alien Big cats. personally, 3 days a week I believe there could be breeding populations , 3 days a week I think its all junk, and on the 7th day, I am un decided!

[ 01-14-2003, 00:28: Message edited by: Pete E ]

King Baboon

Are you thinking about playing with that spear again

thanks for the info gents. - Dan

Johan

Only if it's considered ethical there

BTW, I love you signature, both my brother and father shoot Blasers, and I wouldn't have said it better than you

I have heard a lott about it how will it end I wonder

Any updates to what happend

Flip,

Shooting Times printed a small follow up saying that dna taken from hairs found in the dead dogs mouth were from another dog and from a badger. The eyewitness is sure that he saw a big cat rather than either a dog or a badger...

Peter

Thanks Pete