Foreword
By Merrily Harpur.

This is the third Big Cats in Britain Yearbook to be inspired and compiled by the group's indefatigable leader Mark Fraser,
and once again it details an extraordinary number of sightings of big cats throughout Britain. Every county of England
had its mysterious felines in 2007, with the exception of London - though there were plenty of sightings in the home counties.
Yorkshire produced the highest number of reports - 64 - almost double those of the runner-up, Devon, with 38. Somerset
had 37 and Leicestershire almost as many with 36, while Gloucestershire and Wiltshire had 31 reported sightings apiece. In
Scotland Fife and Aberdeenshire topped the league with 36 sightings between them, though Wales had a quiet year with
only six and four reports coming from Glamorgan and Denbighshire respectively. Co. Monaghan in Northern Ireland again
had a spate of sightings - six reported, and there were three from northern counties of the Republic of Ireland, Donegal and
Sligo. In short there were 675 apparent sightings logged in 2007, but behind this statistic are 675 witnesses, each - in their
own words - 'shocked' or 'stunned', amazed, interested or curious enough to tell someone of their experience. Behind them
again are hundreds more witnesses who have not mentioned their glimpse of a big cat to anyone, whether out of fear of
being disbelieved or simply because they do not know who to tell. Mark Fraser's national research network, Big Cats In
Britain or BCIB has been providing that service for many years, each sighting being acknowledged, logged, published on
the members' area of the website, and if necessary followed up by a local member. BCIB members are a diverse bunch, firmly
bonded by their fascination with the mystery of Britain's many panther, puma or lynx-like big cats, and their determination
to find out more about their nature and provenance. Some have added their thoughts on and theories about these knotty
questions to this volume, along with other writers who reflect on their own experience of seeing a big cat or describe their
localreports.
In short this is the most indispensable guide to latest sightings and developments in research into the most strange and secret
denizens of our landscape. I defy anyone to read it and not find - the next time they go for a walk - their view of the countryside,
the home we share with these elusive creatures, subtly changed.

Merrily Harpur, January 2008.

Big Cats in Britain Yearbook 2008 - edited by Mark Fraser (published by the CFZ)

Big Cats in Britain 2008 Yearbook - edited by Mark Fraser

A full monthly round up of sightings for 2007 including pictures and articles
  1. Big Cats in Britain Conference by Christine Hall.
  2. Mixing Art and the Curriculum by Brian Percival.
  3. Every Village Should Have One by John Beart.
  4. “If There Were Big Cats, I’d See Them!” by Rick Minter.
  5. Territory or Range by Christopher Johnston.
  6. Big Cat Killed on Bypass by Frank Turnbridge.
  7. Bringing Big Cats into the Work Place by Chris Hall.
  8. Big Cat Diary - England.
  9. Big Cat Diary - Scotland.
  10. Big Cat Diary - Wales.
  11. Big Cat Diary - N Ireland.
  12. Big Cat Diary - Ireland.
  13. Big Cat Diary - USA.
  14. Big Cats in Britain by Mark Fraser.
  15. Credits.
  16. Websites.

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Big Cats 2008 - A Review By Nick Redfern

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I recently received a copy of the CFZ's latest book: Big Cats in Britain Yearbook 2008 edited by big-cat authority, Mark Fraser. Well, I read the book over the weekend, and I can say for certain you don't want to miss this one if big-cats are your thing.
Indeed, for the big cat devotee, the latest Yearbook contains much that will inform, intrigue and entertain. After a foreword from Merrily Harpur - author of the truly excellent book Mystery Big Cats - we are treated to a review of the 2007 Big Cats in Britain Conference by Christine Hall. Christine's review takes a slightly different, and welcome, approach, however, as it delves deep into the value of such events, rather than merely its content.
And as Christine astutely concludes with respect to the conference: "It brought gravitas to a subject often perceived as fringe, although it was clearly demonstrated by the speakers that the issue of big cats in our countryside is a very serious issue with many ramifications."
Brian Percival's paper, Mixing Art and the Curriculum, is an interesting one and delves into mysterious big cats seen in the north of England; as well as a notable project involving England's Bolton Museum and Art Gallery.
Every Village Should Have One by John Beart reveals details of his own, personal encounters with big-cats; and Rick Minter explores reports of such creatures on the loose in the English county of Gloucestershire.
Christopher Johnston explores the issue of territory vs. range with respect to these elusive beasts of Britain; Frank Tunbridge has an article titled Black Panther Killed on Bypass; and Chris Hall reveals how discussing the big-cat issue in passing conversation can bring forth intriguing witness testimony.
However, the most important contribution is the Big Cat Diary, which, from pages 45 to 230, details countless big-cat reports in 2007 from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Southern Ireland.
The reports are both impressive and diverse and should convince pretty much anyone and everyone that large, unknown cats do inhabit the UK - and may well have done so for a very long time. You'll find in these sections masses of data that would otherwise be very hard to locate. For that reason alone, the book is an essential purchase.
And everything is rounded off by Mark Fraser, who provides an excellent summary on the history, work, aims and objectives of the Big Cats in Britain group.
Great value for money and highly informative!