British Big Cats

Brian Murpy: Renfrewshire and Central Scotland.

I have been researching and investigating the existence of exotic felines in Scotland, with Mark Fraser founder of the SBCS, for nearly two years. We met when I asked him to come to a site where a large black cat had been seen. Together we worked the site, found evidence, stayed out in a freezing field for nearly a week and ultimately sparked up a great friendship.
I have always been passionate about wildlife and I am currently studying at university for an honours degree in environmental science. Through this course I am researching my theses which investigates re-introducing the lynx to Scotland. However, as the evidence suggests, the lynx may not have become extinct at all. Although just a youngster, 23, I have gained a lot of experience in the field of investigating the exotic felines. Particularly making plaster casts of pad prints, which Mark taught me in a pitch black field, in the driving rain at two in the morning in Ayrshire, that is dedication.
Although I'm not 100% sure, I have witnessed a number of incidents concerned with the big cats. I've seen a large black cat near Fenwick, what looked like a puma near Galston, and most spectacularly a cat that I believe may be a hybrid. This cat was about three times the size of a domestic cat but had the colouring and markings of the puma. I was able to get to within 10 metres of the cat, and took many photos, of which none were very clear. The cat was crunching through the bones of a rabbit and the whole experience was thrilling.
I do believe that we have exotic felines in Britain, although, being a scientist, I really need good hard evidence to be sure. It is in the pursuit of this evidence, and the fascination with the large felines that I have joined the Scottish Big Cats Society.