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There have been thousands of reports of big cats across the UK but most are a fleeting glimpse caught by a member of the public.

The most definitive evidence that has been gathered so far are images on mobile phone cameras or blurry video.

Now experts are carrying out DNA tests on the carcass of a roe deer found at the National Trust’s Woodchester Park, near Stroud, amid speculation that it could have been brought down by a big cat after reports of large felines in the area.

A local walker sent photographs of the carcass to experts last week after noticing particular features on the deer which could suggest it had been killed by a large predator.

The injuries to the neck of the deer and the way the carcass had been consumed are thought to be highly indicative of big cat activity.

Dr Robin Allaby, Associate Professor at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick has visited the kill site to examine the evidence and take DNA samples from the wounds of the roe deer to be tested. Theses samples are now being tested with the results due by the end of the month.

Rick Minter, author of a new book on the mystery of the UK’s feral big cats, said the results could solve the mystery of big cats in Britain once and for all.

“It is very helpful to have this forensic study of the deer carcass. The consistent feedback I receive from people about possible big cats is that the animals should be studied, so we can learn about the subject.

Previous evidence of ‘big cats’ in Britain include thermal images taken by the Forestry Commission in 2009 of two animals in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

A series of photos taken in Cornwall purport to show the ‘Beast of Bodmin Moor’, that is also blamed for mauled sheep in the area.

A film of what looks like a big cat was taken by a military policeman on his mobile phone in 2009 after spotting the creature in Dunbartonshire near the home of Britain’s Trident nuclear submarines.

Other sightings are mostly anecdotal or seen after attacks on domestic animals.

Mark Fraser, founder of Big Cats in Britain, said officials are afraid of admitting big cats are roaming the country for fear of farmers claiming compensation for livestock that is taken.

He said wildcats are “definitely out there” with up to 1,000 sightings a year. Most sightings are attributed to panthers, with a handful of reports put down to their smaller cousins the lynx, once native in this country, or leopards.

It is thought the cats were released into the wild in the 1970s following a crackdown in the law in keeping wild animals.

David Armstrong, National Trust Head Ranger for the Gloucestershire Countryside, said the Trust were taking a scientific view.

“With only one footpath, although it is popular with dog walkers, there is plenty of space for wildlife to live relatively undisturbed. There are 120 hectares of woodland nearby at Woodchester and both areas provide a good habitat for large numbers of deer, both roe and muntjac.

“There are some very occasional sightings of big cats in the Cotswolds but they have wide territories, so are rarely present in one particular spot for long. We’d be interested to hear of any more sightings at Woodchester.”

Officially Natural England claim that there are no big cats in Britain

But Mr Minter said you can never be too careful.

“Although people occasionally report a possible big cat from a distance, close up encounters with such cats are rare. Their hearing and movement are exceptional, which helps them avoid close contact with people. In the event of a close-up encounter you should stay calm and face towards the animal as you back off, but not threaten or aggravate it. The chances are it will have backed off very quickly first.”

Have you seen a big cat recently?

The only big cats i’ve seen lately are the ones playing basketball for the university of Kentucky

Hmm.  If the leopards and panthers were released in the 1970’s, then these wouldn’t be the same ones.  Any now roaming around would probably be at least third generation.  Which means that there would have to be an actual population of the critters, not just an occasional isolated individual wandering about.  Given how little of Britain can actually be considered wilderness, along with the fact that the best hunting for these cats would be around where people live, I have doubts that a population of leopards would be there for this long without ever revealing anything more than the most vague hints that they are there.  They’re somewhat stealthy critters, but they’re not ghosts.  Even in the much more extensive wilds in Africa or the Americas, they’re seen, clearly photographed, and/or tracked quite often.

In fact, the first generation (at least) of these cats would probably have been even more likely to be seen than would their wild cousins.  Animals held in captivity often end up losing their caution of humans, and frequently seek people out actively because they think of humans as food-providers.

If there are leopards and jaguars and lions and tigers roaming around Britain, I’d expect them to be only a handful of isolated ones who were smuggled in and then released/escaped in very recent years.

Accipiter - 28 January 2012 02:37 PM

Hmm.  If the leopards and panthers were released in the 1970’s, then these wouldn’t be the same ones.  Any now roaming around would probably be at least third generation.  Which means that there would have to be an actual population of the critters, not just an occasional isolated individual wandering about.  Given how little of Britain can actually be considered wilderness, along with the fact that the best hunting for these cats would be around where people live, I have doubts that a population of leopards would be there for this long without ever revealing anything more than the most vague hints that they are there.  They’re somewhat stealthy critters, but they’re not ghosts.  Even in the much more extensive wilds in Africa or the Americas, they’re seen, clearly photographed, and/or tracked quite often.

In fact, the first generation (at least) of these cats would probably have been even more likely to be seen than would their wild cousins.  Animals held in captivity often end up losing their caution of humans, and frequently seek people out actively because they think of humans as food-providers.

If there are leopards and jaguars and lions and tigers roaming around Britain, I’d expect them to be only a handful of isolated ones who were smuggled in and then released/escaped in very recent years.

Although a variety of Alien Big Cats (ABCs) are reported around Britain, the majority of witnesses describe ‘panthers’, or cats with entirely black fur. The only wild big cats that match this description are melanistic leopards and jaguars. This mutation is very rare, often not seen for years in places where leopards are relatively common. I believe there are even problems with selective breeding of black leopards. The possibility that there would be a significant population of such creatures breeding in Britain undetected for so many decades, or that many will have escaped or been released from captivity, seems remote. Although, many varieties of non-native species of feline have been discovered in Britain, often as roadkill.

This statement from the article struck me as particular nonsense;

Rick Minter, author of a new book on the mystery of the UK’s feral big cats, said the results could solve the mystery of big cats in Britain once and for all.

The results of these tests may establish whether a big cat is responsible for this particular event, but they’re no more likely to ‘solve the mystery…once and for all’ than this does. I saw the puma Felicity’s remains in Inverness Museum many years ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-16760593

So far fox DNA. More tests to follow on the second animal, but that is likely to be the same. The eye witness seems like a man who is losing his marbles I’m afraid (not in the link, but he was on the news this moring).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-16760599 More about two guys convinced they exist.

I’ve noticed there’s a grouping of phenomena which seem to me to possess a particular set of characteristics, including a wealth of anecdotal evidence from folk with a genuine belief in their experiences, a paucity of ‘conclusive’ evidence which makes such evidence always seem just out of reach, and an ostensible possibility which falls apart under close and objective examination. I’d include many UFOs (obviously not those explained), ghosts and cryptid sightings in this grouping.

I’ve been reading about these elusive feline critters since I was a kid, and back then couldn’t see any problems with the idea of such non-native beasts wondering around our countryside. But after all this time, with groups all over the country looking for them and chasing after evidence, we should know by now whether there was a breeding population of large felids living in Britain. Perhaps there’s one or two, escaped or released from illegal private collections.

These two fellas, Frank Tunbridge and Rick Minter, have no doubt emotionally invested a lot in the idea of the existence of these creatures, and their own experiences will be very real to them. I can’t help but feel that people can vividly experience things which have no external reality.

Paul Taylor - 03 February 2012 02:51 AM

But after all this time, with groups all over the country looking for them and chasing after evidence, we should know by now whether there was a breeding population of large felids living in Britain. Perhaps there’s one or two, escaped or released from illegal private collections.

That’s the thing right there.  In the wild, jaguars and leopards tend to have a very diffuse population, with only a few of them in a very large area.  And yet sightings and clear photos of these purely-wild critters aren’t very rare, and extremely plain and obvious signs of them (tracks, for example) are very common.  They eat things, they claw trees, they walk across muddy ground, they make loud catty noises, they get curious about things and wander over to see what you’re doing, they die and leave their bodies behind.  They’re cats, not ghosts (although a population of spectral cats would be something interesting).  A population based on semi-domesticated or captive cats roaming around in a densely-populated and landscaped small region are not likely to get by for decade after decade with nothing more than a handful of blurry photos.

More from Frank Tunbridge. This time, a large black felid caught on camera.