(Original headline: I SAW BIG CAT ROAMING FREE - ZOO EXPERT BREAKS SILENCE )
A Local zoo manager has broken a 15-year silence to admit that he has seen a black leopard roaming free in the area.
Robin Roberts (60), who has worked with black cats for more than 40 years this week told the Herald how he and former colleague, the late John Foden, saw the creature in a local village.
He said: "This farmer phoned us to see if we had lost one of our panthers. We checked and we hadn't, so went up to this farm.
"The farmer told us that the panther had walked through his yard and into the woods beyond. We went out and we saw a black leopard, it was definitely living there in the woods.
"We said nothing at the time because we didn't want people to panic.
"That leopard would be dead by now - they wouldn't live much longer than 12 years in the wild."
And he said that if he had seen the dead sheep and attacked horse featured in the Herald recently, then he could have given a definite answer on whether or not they were the victims of a big cat attack.
He said: "It could have been badgers, if there were a lot of them, but if there were claw-holes in the fleece, then it would have been a cat; a badger would not have done it."
"It is quite possible that there is still a big cat about now, but there's no proof."
When the Herald told him about supposed sightings of the big cat in areas including Warton, Harlaston, and many other local villages he said: "These sightings would indicate that there is just one big cat - they can cover up to 50 square miles."
But he was keen to point out that there is no need to panic.
"If you came across one, you should just turn and walk away from it. It would be capable of killing a human, but it would not attack unless it had been injured and therefore unable to catch its usual prey.
"As long as people give them space, then there will be no problems. They don't have to be aggressive to survive in our countryside," he added.
