Original headline: Another big cat sighting in field
A quiet walk in the woods near the town of Ladybank yesterday took on a whole new meaning for retired electrician Andrew Smith.
The 64-year-old from Glenrothes has become the latest in a long line of people who have become convinced that the north-east Fife countryside is home to one or more “big cats.”
Andrew contacted The Courier to say that he had been out with his labrador Corrie and Jack Russell terrier Jodie in woodland lying beside the minor road leading from Pitlessie to Ladybank when the incident occurred.
“I was quite close to the railway line and making my way back to the car when I saw a large black animal. It was definitely not a dog but had a long tail and ran very quickly.
“I quickly put the leads on the dogs, and the animal, which moved like a panther, was only about 20 metres away. It came from an open field and I quickly lost sight of it.”
Andrew said that as he was preparing to leave he had spoken to a local woman who said that she had found a fox torn to pieces in the same area recently.
He said that he had seen many stories in the papers about “big cats” but had always been unsure about whether there was any truth to them.
“I always wondered why no one ever had a camera when these sightings were made and why there were no phographs, but in my case the whole thing was over in seconds.”
George Redpath, of Balmullo, who collates sighting of the cats, said there had been several other reports from the same area over the years.
He said that he had received another report from someone who saw a dark brown coloured cat-like animal beside the Balmullo to St Michaels road at the weekend.
George can be contacted on 01337 870026 if anyone has a sighting to report.
