Mystery Surrounds 'big Cat' Photo

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"A photograph of an animal taken on Dartmoor is "almost certainly" not a big cat, according to a local expert.

The picture was taken by falconer Martin Whitley, who stumbled across the creature by accident near Hound Tor.

The area inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles, but Mr Whitley said there was "definitely nothing supernatural" about the animal.

But Danny Bamping, founder of the British Big Cats Society, said he "just couldn't see it" being a big cat";

Full story;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6923095.stm?lsm



Personally, to me the beast in the photo looks like a stray black sheep to me, like this;

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/920/55064132.JPG

I does sort of have the build of a hairy wild boar;

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2005/12/330490.jpg


But my money is on the black sheep :) .

What do you think about this mysterious beast on Dartmoor?
Personally i don't think its that unlikely that there could be big wild cats roaming the pleasent green feilds of England, afterall i'm sure in the past there have been plenty of people who bought exotic pets like big cats as cubs, only to find they grew to large and dangerous to look after, and then the owner released them into the wild like so many people do with large exotic tankbusting fish in the hobby when they can no longer look after the animal. Or perhaps someone's secret large pet cat just escaped.
I know my brother have a freaky experience on the farm once. Years ago he was walking the dogs during the middle of winter, and being winter it suddenly become very dark very quickly while he was out walking the dogs. After a while he came back looking quite shocked and concerned, he said while he had been out walking the dogs he saw this large sleek black animal approaching him across a field in the gloom, he said it had large eye's which reflected light like cats eyes and the animal made a weird growling noise. Apparently the dogs completely freaked out, whining and trying to drag him back home, they were definately terrified of whatever the animal was.
My brother was totally convinced he'd seen a big cat, however, after that experience he nor i or anyone else ever saw anything more of the mystery animal....

There were also reports in the are from other farmers finding sheep which had been killed in a rather unusual manner.

So in a way i don't really know what to make of this. My eye's are open to the posibility of big cats and other such large exotic animals secretely roaming our countryside.

At least in America, the trade in illegal (particularly exotic) wildlife is booming, and it is becomming clear that it is worrying easy to do this too;

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...al-smuggle.html

The global trade in smuggled wildlife is booming, with worldwide sales estimated to be anywhere from U.S. $10 billion to U.S. $20 billion. This also means that more and more big cats are being illegally traded from country to country, with the cats probably ending up in the hands of people who do not really know how to look after them. All this makes me wonder how many illegal exotic animals are ending up in my own country, England. Seriously though, customs is a joke here, i remember coming back from a holiday last year and we walked right through customs and there wasn't even anyone there! Worrying huh....?
 
I'd say there's no doubt that there's at least one big cat wandering around the countryside of Britain- there's too many sightings and odd livestock deaths to be a coincidence. As with all things, I find it silly how the 'experts' can still just sit back and say 'well, nobody's shot one, so there aren't any' (or that's what they seem to be saying).
 
im not sure about that picture. It could well just be a dog or something with its head in the bushes, but the human mind makes what could be a load of ruffled fur look like the face of a cat.
 
I think it looks like its been photoshopped in to be honest...
 
im not sure about that picture. It could well just be a dog or something with its head in the bushes, but the human mind makes what could be a load of ruffled fur look like the face of a cat.


Hmm i wouldn't say it was a dog, in the picture the animal has a very short strong looking neck, its back is also slightly arched and has very long shaggy hair and short stout legs. It doesn't really look like any breed of dog i know of, it looks more like some sort of herbivore or omnivore like a boar or sheep.

I think it looks like its been photoshopped in to be honest...


I don't think its been photoshopped, afterall this was a picture taken in front of plenty of witnesses, and its got a good amount of detail from the distance it was taken at too, not like the blurry pics of the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot etc.
 
I don't think its been photoshopped, afterall this was a picture taken in front of plenty of witnesses, and its got a good amount of detail from the distance it was taken at too, not like the blurry pics of the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot etc.
I think the people look like theyve just been added in aswell, allthough I aggree about the detail and the distace...Im sure there are these big cats dotted about the place, its just strange to see one in a photo.
 
there is far too many sightings in the UK for there not to be any big cats roaming free.
there is certainly plenty of prey for these animals to live a full life as well as farm stock too.

I'll guide you to one of the best sites for info and sightings and let you make your own mind up.
http://www.ukbigcats.co.uk/
 
I thinks its either a sheep or boar.

I do believe we have wild cats in the UK.
last year there were sightings of Lynx/Bobcats in Coombe Abbey here in Cov. And Neighbouring school saw large cats around the perimiters of the school grounds.

If we Already have Wallabies, Orynx herds sp? and Tropical Parrots living wild in the UK why not Big Cats.
 
didnt they id it as a dog .... very unreliable source the sun but the dog that walks in exact that area is a weird cross and sicner the owner walks and knows how the dog works im pretty sure it may be her dog :p
 

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