Uncovering the truth behind the UK’s most elusive animals – big cats! Are these just countryside fairy tales, or is there a real danger lurking in the shadows?
It’s a cold January evening, and after a long day of gruelling work you’re finally preparing to rest, just as you’re about to close the blinds, something catches your eyes at the gate. A strange animal. At first you think it might be a housecat, a fox – maybe even a coyote!
But the moonlit night illuminated a sleek elongated body with jet black fur, its nose pressed against the gate. A black panther? You laugh to yourself thinking how absurd you could be to allow such a thought to cross your mind. Yet those amber eyes lingered in your mind. Could it really be true?
Well that was the reality for Wendy Veryard, creator of the Facebook group chat “Belief in BIG CATS roaming the UK” and hundreds of other groups and societies who have similar stories to her.
As someone from a predominantly urban area (Essex), I had never heard such tales before. How did the belief in big cats roaming the countryside originate, and what might have fueled its spread?
Dr. Tara Pirie, a lecturer in ecology and conservation at the University of Surrey, offers one possible explanation.
“I believe a licence was brought in, around the 1970s,” she explains, referring to The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. “A licence to keep exotic pets, and there was potential that people let some of those pets go because they didn’t want to get the licence.”
Since its enactment numerous sightings of “beast-like creatures” had been reported by the locals. However,one story in particular had made its way to national news. In 1983 Eric Ley, a farmer from South Molton had alleged that over a hundred of his sheep had been violently killed via throat injuries in the span of three months.
These claims led to media frenzy,with the animal being dubbed the “Beast of Exmoor”, the government had even deployed a team of Royal Marine snipers to hunt down the creature. Although nothing had come of it, it didn’t stop people from claiming sightings of these evasive animals.
Popular big cat fanatic and podcast host for “Big Cat Conversations” Rick Minter had said “the black leopard and the tan coloured puma reports, witnesses commonly describe a very long tubular tail, elongated body, with a very purposeful walk.”
Cumbrian big cat investigator Harlem Karma claimed he had witnessed a melanistic leopard January of last year, several mutilated sheep in the same county and supposedly found puma tracks in East Yorkshire.
Similarly, Reddit commenter “UberPadge” (he has chosen to remain anonymous) commented on the forum “Scotland”, describing his first encounter back in the 2000’s at around 9am as he was walking along the farmers track.
“I would describe it and all I can say is it looked like a mountain lion but smaller, I say smaller – I’ve never seen a mountain lion, but in my head they’re the size of a lioness. Either way, this thing was still way too big to be a normal cat”
Unable to comprehend what he was seeing he tried to call his friends but as it started walking parallel to him, he was left frozen in shock as it ran away. Although his friends did not believe his tale once he recounted, he says:
“Everything about its movement as it ran off screamed big cat”.
These accounts add fuel to the ongoing debate of the potential existence of these animals.
Adding support to the argument is Professor Robin Allaby, educator in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick.
His work primarily explores the evolution of genomes by analysing ancient DNA, with a focus on providing ecological forensic services.
“And that’s really how we received this last sample where we did get the panther hit.”
A sample sent from a sheep carcass in the Lake District had been discovered to have traces of the panthera genus, which is DNA commonly found in panthers, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards and snow leopards.
“I mean I’ve been quite agnostic to the presence of big cats since we first started testing. They may or may not be there but my job as a scientist is to be open-minded on providing a test service.”
Hence why Professor Allaby and the rest of his team were surprised to discover the presence of the genes despite testing over thousands of samples in the span of 13 years.
However, there are people who have speculated that this could be staged to which he responds with:
“It’s not as easy as you might assume to get hold of panther DNA. you can’t go to a zoo and just sort of swap the sides of an enclosure.
“You would really need to get hold of the fluids of the animal, which means cooperation of professionals, vets, that sort of thing.
“And they’re not going to do that, so I think it’s a genuine hit.”
So, let’s say panthers do exist in the UK, how do they manage to survive and coexist with us? Surprisingly, experts suggest that it might not be as far-fetched as it seems.
Big cats are adaptable predators, capable of thriving in various environments. In the UK, the countryside offers vast farmlands, woodlands, and moorland—perfect for hunting without being detected. These areas provide sufficient prey, which could sustain a small population of large cats.
Dr. Pirie explains “a lone cat is likely going about its business while deliberately avoiding people. We haven’t heard of any attacks on humans, and if these cats have been in the UK for years, the lack of incidents suggests they’re keeping to themselves.”
Another key factor is the small number of reported sightings, in many cases, these animals might be mistaken for large dogs or other wildlife. Big cats also require significant space, meaning their population would likely remain limited—making encounters even rarer.
However, with the rise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) there has been an increase in speculation surrounding their existence. It’s getting harder to tell whether these alleged encounters are real, or just fakes.
Gary Linney, a member of the Facebook group “Real Big Cats in Kent”, offers an intriguing perspective on why so many close encounters with alleged big cats fail to produce photographic evidence.
“The circumstances surrounding these encounters make them fleeting by nature,” Mr Linney explains. “Consider this: my phone was in my trouser pocket. I would’ve had to fish it out, open the camera app, aim it at the target, and then snap the photo. There simply wasn’t enough time!
“Beyond that, these were some of the most fascinating moments of my life—seconds I wanted to savor. I didn’t want to waste them fumbling with a phone. I wanted to fully immerse myself in the experience. So no photos, other than the ones imprinted in my memory.”
This sentiment captures a dilemma that fuels the debate around big cat sightings: these short lived encounters often leave little more than vivid stories to back them up.
But the question remains: how many more stories of strange sightings will it take before we uncover definitive proof?
It appears the next best thing would be physical proof, and with only one recent documentation of panthera genus DNA, Professor Allaby, exclaims that there needs to be multiple samples of these animals for the public to be convinced that these animals really are lurking in rural areas.
In the end, the mystery of big cats in the British countryside continues to remain a mystery like the animals themselves. Are they really stalking the countryside, or are they products of our imagination?
“One of the reasons some people are sceptical is that they cannot grasp the stealth of these apex predators, and they are rarely seen in their native lands.
“For some witnesses an encounter with a large cat can be clear and close, but these are rare events, often at dawn or dusk, but sometimes in clear daylight too.” Says Rick Minter.
“There are precisely 40 different species of wild cats across the globe, yet the same three are described in Britain, in the same proportions, year on year, by people who have no idea about them.
“This just shows the consistency in these incidents.”
Whether it’s a tale of escaped pets, or simply a folklore tale, the intrigue refuses to fade. Until there’s undeniable proof, the truth remains just out of reach, leaving us to wonder what might be hidden in the shadows, watching us when we least expect it.
