Numerous sightings of big cats have been reported over 2024 and witnesses have claimed to have seen these out of place creatures in urban areas such as Gloucester and in the heart of the Forest of Dean. One witness reports seeing a big cat the size of a cheetah, where others believe they have seen a lynx and a panther.
One claimed they had seen a big cat sauntering into a field of sheep who were clearly unbothered by the animals. Another says they had seen a big cat playing and pouncing in a churchyard field full of buttercups, which gives the impression and as some believe, they have adapted the British countryside.
Sightings of big cats in Gloucestershire have been noted for many years, and it is believed many of these creatures seen in the UK countryside are the result of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act coming into force in 1976. The law outlined the owners of exotic animals had to ensure the animals were kept in safe enclosures, under strict guidelines, however it has been said many who owned these creatures let them loose instead.
January 2024
Big cat spotted ‘sussing man out’ near Gloucester
A ‘big cat’ has been seen prowling in the urban area of Matson, just outside Gloucester. The sighting happened in the early evening, and the man who saw the creature has said the animal stood and watched him, as if trying to ‘suss him out’.
The big cat was seen on an ash path between Juniper Avenue and Campion Close which is said to run below the slopes of Robinswood Hill. This would not be the first claimed sighting of a big cat in the area.
“The man froze to the spot as he was taken by surprise and was just stood there watching the animal. He says the big cat was watching him and seemed to be sussing him out.
“He went to get his phone out of his pocket and the cat jumped into some bushes and was gone. Then he contacted me to ask if a big cat would be in such an urban area.”
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‘I know what I saw’ – big cat ‘the size of a cheetah’ seen in woods near Cheltenham
A photographer who has travelled to South Africa to shoot images of big cats is convinced he saw one a lot closer to home, here in Gloucestershire. The sighting was to the east of Cheltenham and he said the creature was fast, silent and low.
Convinced it wasn’t the usual type of wildlife you see in the Gloucestershire countryside, the man, whose works under the Pete Lloyd Photography name, said it was about the size of a cheetah. He is keeping the exact location of the sighting, last Friday afternoon, secret
Contacting Gloucestershire Live, the Worcestershire-based semi-professional photographer said: “I was at a location east of Cheltenham by a few miles at the end of the afternoon and walking back to my car through scrubby woodland when a large, jet-black flash went across my path. It was only visible for less than a second so I had no time to react but it was fast, silent, large and low.
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February 2024
Big cat spotted running into field of sheep who didn’t bat an eyelid
A group who were out walking in the West Country came across a big cat which is said to have looked ‘completely natural in the countryside landscape’. One of the group said it was not for one moment a scary experience, and compared the sighting to having spotted a deer or pheasant while out on a hike.
Curious to find out the type of big cat they had seen, they carried out a Google search and found they had come across a lynx . The group were also rather taken aback seeing the lynx running away towards a flock of sheep, who were clearly unbothered by the animal.
“The weather had not been too good at the start of the morning. We had our heads down and just headed to Roos Tor.
“The four of us were in a line one behind the other, and my friend, who is ex-Army, whistled so we all stopped and looked up. He looked over to and pointed towards the big cat.
“We saw it for about four or five seconds as it ran about 75 metres from west to east just below the Tor. It ran into a field where there were sheep, which did not bat an eyelid.
“As we carried on, we saw a couple who were walking towards us, and I asked them if they had seen the big cat. They looked at us as if we were a bit mad and said, ‘no, not at all.’.
“It was not a shock to see the animal, it just looked like a natural part of the landscape. None of us were scared, in fact as soon as the animal spotted us, it got out of the way pretty sharpish.
“The press do not help with sensational headlines about these sightings like ‘The Beast Of Bodmin’. I can imagine if you saw a lion which had been growling, you would be shocked, however this animal looked natural and completely harmless.”
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March
Big cat seen playing in Forest of Dean churchyard
A woman watched in amazement as a ‘big cat’ played in the high grass grounds of a church while she was on holiday near Lydney. At first she thought it was a dog playing in the grass, however soon realised it was a big cat pouncing and playing.
She had been on holiday with her husband for a few days in Bream before they visited a cottage they had booked in Lydney. Soon after she and her husband arrived at the cottage, the woman went to a nearby shop to get something for tea.
The woman who wants to remain anonymous said: “I remember the day well. It was the Men’s Wimbledon Final and I had just taken the dogs for a walk in the field opposite where we had been staying.
“I went to go and get something for tea from the shop nearby. On my way, I noticed beautiful flowers up against a wall of the church.
“I was going to have a look at the flowers and had my hand up against the gate of the church, and then I could see a black shape and something moving in the grass.
“The grass was tall as my waist, and I could see it playing with something in its paws. Then I was able to see its swishing tail.”
For a brief moment, the woman looked on as the animal watched her and then she could see the tail of the big cat swishing in the grass. Then she began to wonder if the animal before her was actually a panther.
She said: “I watched and it was playing in the grass and pouncing. It must have found a mouse or something to play with.
“It looked at me, and I thought then it was a panther. It has piercing eyes and they were very much a feature of the face.”
A man was near walking his dog along the path. She decided to ask him to have a look at the animal she had seen.
She said: “I spoke to the man and asked him to come and have a look at the animal and to see if it was a big cat or if I was going mad. He was like okay yes let us go have a look.
“When we had then got to the gate, and he swore and then said ‘its a big cat’. Before he was a little dismissive, then we both watched it walk away into another field.”
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June 2024
‘Big cat’ with tail curled like a question mark seen in field of buttercups near A417
A man has shared his surprise at seeing the head of a large cat appear above the long grass while he was out walking his two dogs in Gloucestershire. The former headteacher didn’t see the body of the animal, but noted that its long tail was pointed upwards and curled like a question mark.
Martin Piper, 80, from Cheltenham, is not easily startled. However, he admitted to being slightly taken aback when he spotted a large cat just 30 yards away from him and his two dogs, Polly and Percy, in a field near Bentham Lane, in Bentham, earlier this month.
He says the animal was beige and brown with dark flecks and pointy ears, and a very wide face, like a feline and it was ‘beautiful’. The field was a little difficult to access as you have to navigate two styles which have brambles on either side, however when you get to the field you are met with the sigh of a natural blanket of buttercups and foot tall grass.
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October 2024
Dad and son see ‘big cat’ leap across road in a single bound as they looked for wild boar piglets
A dad and his son, while driving back to the camp site they were staying in the Forest of Dean , could not believe it when they seen a big cat jump across the road in front of them in a single bound. Both were taken aback by how clearly they could see the creature and have described the ‘tufts on its ears’ and said it was ‘very muscular’.
Gareth Wright, 55, from Yeovil, goes camping each year with his son in Coleford . They love to walk and look at the wildlife in the area, and have a keen interest looking for birds of prey and the wild boar which are known for residing in the area.
Last summer, Gareth and his son had been out and had enjoyed seeing lots of wildlife, especially deer. Walking on one day, they had seen wild boar on their travels and some wild boar piglets , otherwise known as ‘humbugs’.
“We were driving passed the fenced area by the recycling centre in Coleford and we seen a lynx jump into the road. In one bound it jumped across the road.
“There is no question about it, the animal was clearly a lynx. You could tell by the tufts on its ears, the green eye shine and it was dark tan and tall as a Labrador.
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November 2024
‘Big cat’ fear after deer found devoured in the Cotswolds
A big cat is believed to have been on the prowl in a village in the Cotswolds . A picture has been taken of a roe deer which is believed to have been killed and eaten by a big cat
The picture shows the deer found in Painswick . with only its head and rear legs left as the rest of body and organs have been consumed. Another image shows where the hair from the coat of the deer has been ripped out, which is said to be similar to the work of a big cat after killing their prey before devouring the creature.
FT “On October 24, I received an email with photo attachments of a small roe deer which had been freshly killed. Much of it had been consumed in a manner relating to a large cat like animal.
“Signs of the deer being killed by a big cat include bite marks to the throat, large amount of internal organs eaten, and the ribcage licked clean. The hair of the deer had been plucked away before the carnivore started its meal.”
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Big cat seen next to busy sports field in middle of the day
A man was shocked to see a big cat sauntering down a Gloucestershire field next to a green bustling with a weekend lunchtime sports game. The animal was seen by others as it strolled past a fence before going into the woods and sat curiously watching everything happening on the green.
The sighting of the creature happened earlier this month near a busy weekend sports fixture. The man, who does not want to be identified, saw the animal with rolling shoulders walking in the field and he was taken aback by its size and said it was ‘clearly a large cat’
The man, who said he only wanted to give the location of the sighting as Gloucestershire, said: “I was at a sports game and another spectator to the right of me noticed the animal and said ‘what is that’. I looked over the way and could see a big cat walking along the fence in the neighbouring field.
“That is when I got my phone out to video the animal. It is hard to say the size the animal was because of the distance and perspective however I would say it looked as if it was the size of a Labrador. .
“The size of it and the way it moved was different to a domestic cat. It was different in how it was moving down the path with speed and distance it was travelling.”
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