Does this big cat prowl North Wiltshire? (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Does this big cat prowl North Wiltshire?

A TRAIL of mauled animals has led to more claims about a ferocious mystery animal living in North Wiltshire.

Minety farmer Peter Scott reported that a large animal had been killing and maiming his sheep, leaving five of them dead in February.

In the latest incident a Baydon farmer left a dead pig in his farmyard overnight to find that it had been stripped to the bone the following morning. He told police that the attack "had all the hallmarks of a big cat attack."

Since 1991, more than 40 sightings of what people have described as a large black cat have been made in villages all around Malmesbury, including Crudwell, Oaksey, Charlton, Lea, Little Somerford, Brinkworth and Dauntsey.

Another sighting in Long Charlton, by a mother and daughter in November 1996, also backs up a big cat theory: "We were driving along, and we saw a huge black cat in the road, so we just stopped. It was the biggest cat we had ever seen."

Terry Hooper runs the Bristol based Exotic Animals Register, which logs these sightings, and is in no doubt of what the animals are: "They are almost definitely big cats such as panthers and lynxes.

"The police have been taking the reports of these animals very seriously, and have logged at least 30 sightings on the national computer.

"We know that panthers have been in the Wiltshire area, as we have done DNA tests on their hair and droppings, which confirm what they are. We have had recent reports of baby lynxes in the Pewsey area.

"Up until 1976, there was no legislation to regulate the keeping of large animals, so after this, people who kept private zoos and menageries just let them go, so recent sightings of these animals are probably sixth or seventh generation."

Terry, who has been logging big cat sightings since 1975, believes that the big cats present no risk to human life: "There have been no cases of any humans being attacked by these animals.

"If someone confronts one, they should simply walk slowly backwards, but the animal will probably run off anyway. You should not panic and run away screaming, as this is what their prey would do, and they would be bound to attack."

An RSPCA spokesman said: "We have known of cat owners who bought pumas and leopards as kittens, and have underestimated their size and appetite, when they are fully grown. When they realise they cannot look after them, they have simply taken them to a forest and let them go.

"The animals are natural predators, and have attacked sheep, cows and foxes, in order to survive."

Former Malmesbury WPC Liz Ashworth, speaking to the Standard in 1999, said that an incident in which an animal was eaten forced a vet to call the police: "I went up to a case involving a still born calf, which was dragged yards across a filed and eaten, and it was very strange.

"The vet called the police because he couldn't think of any animal that could do that, not even a pack of foxes."

RSPCA press officer Lucy Parks said: "We get numerous calls from people who claim to have seen mystery animals. In terms of people spotting them, it is pure speculation.

"The sightings we have had date back to the 1970s, when the Dangerous Wildlife Act was introduced, which meant that strict regulations had to be adhered to, with regular inspections of animals compulsory.

"A lot of people didn't want to bother with the red tape, so they just let the animals go." Terry Hooper said: "If you see any big cats in the Malmesbury area, call me on 0117 902 4807," or you can call the Standard on 01666 822188.

MAP: Big cat sightings in North Wiltshire since 1991.