Police have stepped up patrols around a Somerset village after a woman spotted a "panther-like" creature.

The woman reported seeing the large cat in a field at Puriton near Bridgwater, Somerset, at about 0900 GMT Sunday morning.

She described the animal, which was black, as the size of a Labrador.

Officers investigating the sighting are waiting to examine a photograph of the creature taken by the woman.

Increased patrols
A spokesman said they were keeping an open mind about the sighting.

"Police are aware and are increasing patrols in the area.

"If we get a lot more sightings in the same area then it would be something we would actively investigate further."

He asked anyone else who spotted a similar creature to contact police.

Source: BBC News / England March 17, 2003

TELEPHONES have been trilling in West Lancashire with news of a big cat on the prowl.

The black creature, which is reported to be an astonishing three and a half feet tall and five feet long, has been spotted in Upholland, Tarleton, Burscough and Newburgh.

These reports have caused quite a stir, focusing media attention on people who generally prefer the gentle hum of rural life.

Of course, on a quiet day in the editorial office, there is nothing quite like the sudden appearances and disappearances of an unidentified animal, to unleash the newshounds on the trail of a story.

And now hopes are mounting that further sightings could bring tourists flocking to see this Lancashire cat.

Most famously, we have the persistent but coy Loch Ness monster, who cunningly chooses to break from her dark waters when nobody is about with a decent camera.

Nonetheless, blurred log-like images, purporting to be Nessie in frolic-some poses, have been quite sufficient to sustain a multi-million pound industry in Scotland.

The more sinister Beast of Bodmin, too, attracts flurries of media speculation followed by interested observers swinging their binoculars.

Colin Pickthall, MP for Lancashire West, inset, right, was quick to see the tourism potential: "We do not get our fair share of tourists," he said.

"So if rumours of a big cat, or for all we know the actual presence of a big cat, continue, I am sure a lot of people will come and start nosing about. Then they can try some of our wonderful pubs.

"Maybe West Lancashire would be a good place for such a creature, with all the rabbits and hares to eat. I have not seen it yet, but I hope there is an exotic animal roaming round Burscough, Altcar, Halsall and places like that. It would be exciting, as long as it didn't go round eating people."

So far the Lancashire cat has been unnamed. No photographic evidence has been produced to support its existence and the most recent witness said he saw the black cat after dark.

However, Danny Bamping , founder of the 800-member British Big Cat Society, is not so sceptical.

His Plymouth-based organisation receives reports of giant felines being seen all over the country.

A possibility he says is inter-breeding. For example, lions and tigers can mate producing off-spring

called either tigrons or ligers: "The sightings could be one of three things basically,"

"It could be a mistaken identity for a big domestic moggy. It could be a new type of hybrid feral cat. It could be, as these people gest, some kind of big cat."

Cats are essentially split into the purrers and the roarers.

The soft-toned lynx and the puma, though much bigger than the pet lazing on your hearth, are not classified as big cats.

But the panther, or black leopard, which roars, is classified as a big cat.

Most of the sightings, it seems, have been of a panther-like creature.

A spokeswoman at Southport Zoo said that none of their big cats had escaped. In the past, though, they had been called out to investigate peculiar creatures, described as big cats, which were later identified as large, black Alsatians.

"Maybe at some time a big cat was released into that environ-ment," added Danny, who has a degree in wildlife and underwater film-making.

"Judging by the species which are roaming Britain today - lynx, puma and panther - there is a distinct possibility that these species could inter-breed. Then you could get something unique or different."

He thought the cat of West Lancs could be a lynx, which has no tail, tufted ears, and a sturdy dog-like bearing.

Such creatures could cover about 20 kilometres a night," he said.

The 300-acre Beacon Country Park, Upholland, might provide a home for a big cat.

But Clare Parker, one of its rangers, said there had been no sightings.

In the past couple of years, Bolton-born Danny's society has detailed 2,000 sightings of creatures that could be big cats in the country. Lancashire was one of its hot-spots.

A woman from Newburgh, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid the ridicule of sceptics, said: "The big cat stopped and stood absolutely still, looking at us for a few minutes, then walked off into the next field.

"It was a lovely looking animal, quite hefty and broad-chested but sleek in body."

Had the commercial possibilities of having a strange beast prowling their patch occurred to West Lancashire District Council?

Their spokesmen were unavailable yesterday.

Source: Liverpool Daily Post, England | David Charters March 21.03

TWO motorists travelling along the M6 have reported seeing a large, black cat off the motorway near to Burton Services on the border between Cumbria and Lancashire, reports Mike Addison.

A 38-year-old Kendal woman, who did not wish to be named for fear of ridicule, said she was coming back home from Lancaster on Wednesday at 3.45pm and was approaching the services when she glanced to the right and her attention was drawn to a big black animal running in a field with some outbuildings in it.

"I saw a big black thing and thought: That looks unusual'," she said. "Then suddenly it started pounding up a hill faster than I have ever seen any animal running. It had a huge, huge stride. "It was at least twice as big as a black Labrador and was very muscular. There is no way you could mistake it for a domestic animal."

The woman reported her sighting to Bristol-based Terry Hooper, who logs sightings of non-native creatures in an exotic animal register. She also contacted Cumbria Police who logged the sighting.

When the Gazette contacted Mr Hooper, he confirmed that the woman had called and that he had also had another call from a motorist who had seen a large black creature in a field off the M6 near to the service station.

These latest sightings follow two more recently reported in the Gazette of a large panther-like creature being seen on the Heron Hill estate and Aikrigg Hill in Kendal.

"The spring weather means that they (large cats) are coming out more and this is when they are coming into contact with people," said Mr Hooper. "There have been several sightings of large cats at the same section of M6 corridor in previous years."

The Gazette has previously reported sightings of large black cats being seen off the motorway at Burton, Farleton and Killington.

Mr Hooper said Cumbria was second in the country behind Caernarfonshire for the number of reported big, black cat sightings.

"People are reporting them more up there and the fact that so many reports are coming through indicates that the cats have been out there for some considerable time," he said.

Source: Westmoreland Gazette, England | Mike Addison March 28 2003

A FULLY-GROWN puma is on the prowl in the area.

This was the conclusion of experts after paw prints measuring 4.5-by-4in were found at an allotment in Crayford.

The discovery follows numerous sightings of a big cat in the Bexley area.

Seven casts of the prints were made by Brad Clough, south eastern representative of the British Big Cat Society. These were then studied by Ellis Daw, founder-owner of Dartmoor Wildlife Park.

His verdict: "I am 90 per cent certain these are puma prints. They are rounded, with the right-shaped pads, and show no claw marks.

"Dogs cannot retract their claws, and big cats only use their claws when they pounce on a kill."

He said the animal is about two-foot high and three-foot long and has a FAWN-COLOURED coat.

This is the strongest clue yet to the presence of a SECOND big cat in the area. News Shopper has previously reported numerous sightings of a large BLACK animal, dubbed the Beast of Bexley.

It was most recently caught on CCTV in a garden in Plumstead.

Mr Clough believes the puma may have been spotted in Bean, near Dartford, 18 months ago.

It travels long distances along railway lines.

Mr Clough said: "The Government should do something because in 10 years there might be a population explosion and we could see them coming into towns, like foxes."

If you have seen a big cat, call Brad Clough on 07812 787839 or visit www.britishbigcats.com Source: Newsquest, London | Toby Nation March 5 2003

LEVENMOUTH has received its first official sighting of a big cat prowling the area.

A member of the public contacted the police last Tuesday after claiming to have seen a large animal, like a panther or jaguar, in the grounds of the Diageo bottling plant in Leven.

There have been a number of similar sightings in north east Fife in recent years, but few in central Fife.

A spokesman for Fife Constabulary said: "I can confirm the police were called to the ground at the Diageo on Tuesday following a call from someone who sighted a large cat in the area.

"A search was made but no trace of the animal was found. "At this stage there has still been no proof these animals are wild in Fife, but they will be more frightened of us than we are of them.

"However, we do take every report of such sightings seriously and will follow them up."

Source: Fife On-line: March 27, 2003

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -