BIG CAT NEWS: Gloucestershire and Carlisle...and Wisbeach

The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper column inches than any other cryptozoological subject.

There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived in some way by us, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.

It takes a long time to do, and is a fairly tedious task, so I am not promising that they will be done each day, but I will do them as regularly as I can. JD

Secret cameras poised to film big cat
Heart
Last month, scientists at Warwick University disappointed believers in the mystery animal, by revealing that deer remains found on land near Woodchester Mansion actually contained fox or dog DNA. Since then, the Countryside and Community Research...

Another round-up of Gloucestershire news including quotes from Frank Tunbridge and the Countryside and Community Research institute (CCRI) survey. Rhiannon Fisher, a lecturer at the Royal Agricultural College and a part-time PhD student in the CCRI said: “ We are not saying that there is or is not a wild cat in the area. We are interested in people’s opinions about what might be out there, what sort of thing might count as proof, and what their thoughts are about it".

And now, another Frank Tunbridge story:

Spy cameras set up to catch Gloucestershire big cat
This is Gloucestershire
SPY cameras are being set up at a secret location today to capture footage of an elusive big cat. Tracker Frank Tunbridge was contacted by a resident whose trip camera captured a still photo of what he believes is a big cat at an undisclosed location ...

Frank Tunbridge is one of the good guys. He talks sense, and his research is - as far as we can tell - carried out on straight and logical lines. We wish him all the best in the world. And here he is again, accompanied by another good guy, Rick Minter...

Public talk will examine evidence for big cats in Gloucestershire
Stroud News and Journal
AN ILLUSTRATED talk examining the evidence for big cats in Gloucestershire will be held in Stroud. Experts Rick Minter and Frank Tunbridge will discuss the implications of feral big cats for people and other wildlife at St Laurence Church Hall from...

And now another outing for the other main big cat stories of recent days, the Carlisle one that so attracted Jan Edwards' oppropbrium yesterday.

I don't think this is claws for concern
News & Star
“And they're rarer than black panthers in cat-flaps.” But hey – hang on there just one little minute. There's apparently something rustling in the nether regions of old Carlisle. Around Rockcliffe's rural bits, to be more precise, a big cat is ...

Oh dear; it's a humourist. That ol' "Claws for Concern" quip, whilst not quite as hackneyed as the "Paws for thoughts", or the "Unidentified Furry Objects" ones, or the "Chaus Theory" (OK I made the last one up), is still the mark of a light hearted romp through local sightings, which may be mildly amusing but is unlikely to add much to the canon of belief in mystery cat lore.

But now a new sighting:

BREAKING NEWS: 'Black panther' spotted in Holbeach
Spalding Today
Louise (42), of Washway Rood, Holbeach, was driving from home towards Boston Road South when she glimpsed the big cat in a field not far from the Bull's Neck pub at about 8.35am. She said: “It was in between Washway Road and Penny Hill.