Sightings of a mysterious big cat have sparked new claims that black panthers are prowling the fields of south Somerset. Bill Turner of Hardington Mandeville, near Yeovil, is the latest witness.
The 42-year-old dairy farmer claims he saw a "massive black panther" run past him on Saturday as he helped Hardington Primary School to organise a children's Easter egg hunt.
He said: "It was a huge black cat, four times the size of a domestic cat, with a short tail.
"It came running down the road near Hardington Mandeville church, went past in a flash and went across the field and up in the wood.
"It certainly was not a dog.
"I heard the sound of its pads as it ran on the road. You wouldn't hear that with an ordinary cat.
"No livestock has been savaged that we know of, but it must be living off something."
People across south Somerset have seen a similar animal, unusual paw prints have been found and livestock has been savaged.
A big cat on the loose in the countryside around Chard is claimed to be responsible for a recent spate of attacks, with sightings of the "Blackdown Beast" prowling the fields and woods, and sheep found ripped apart.
Chardstock farmer Robert Waldron, aged 44, who recently lost several lambs, is convinced that big cats exist in Somerset.
He said: "The lambs that were not attacked got startled. We had a torch and shone it around. It jumped out of somewhere and went up into a tree, and I saw its eyes glowing.
"It could not have been a dog as I have never seen a dog jump like that. It was definitely a wild cat of some sort, and you have got to worry if there are young children around because there is the possibility that it could attack them."
