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The Big Cat is Back
Big Cats in Britain
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The Big Cat is Back
This is Gloucestershire: 9th August 2008
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THE famous Forest of Dean big cat has clawed its way back into the limelight after a walker spotted it in Cinderford.
The cat was seen chasing a deer in Linear Park near Valley Road – an area notorious for big cat sightings.
However, this occasion is one of the closest the cat has been seen to civilisation.
Danny Bamping, the founder of the British Big Cat Society, has allayed fears that the big cat may be becoming more urbanised.
He said: "There is no need for people to be scared. The Forest of Dean is a large dense area, and the cat will be more at home there."
But he warned that family pets could be at risk.
"People should be more fearful for their animals," he said.
"The big cat hunts smaller animals like pheasants and chickens, but they would also go for domestic pets."
The animal spotted in Linear Park is described as having a long tail, a small head, squashed nose and it was jet black in colour.
Despite no concrete photographic evidence of big cats in the county, police believe there are pairs living in the Forest and Cirencester.
In January 2007, a smooth-coated black cat, reportedly larger than an Alsatian dog, was seen in the same area by a driver heading towards the Bridge Inn.
Sightings of a big cat in Gloucestershire are not new. In 2006 large paw prints were found outside a house near Evesham sparking fears a Lynx-like creature was on the loose.
In November 2006, two 11-year-old boys saw two green eyes staring back at them from a bush in Cinderford. They believed that it was a big cat.
Do you have any information on the above reports. Were you the person
involved, or are you aware of any more sightings in this area. We would appreciate any information that you could
give us.
Have your say on the forum.