Hunt For Big Cat Takes To The Air.
By Kim Kelly in Coleraine.
ONE of the most unusual police operations in Northern Ireland began this morning as armed officers embarked on a big cat hunt on the north Antrim coast.
Heat-seeking equipment and a helicopter are being used in the latest attempt to capture the puma which has been on the loose in the Ballybogey area for five weeks.
USPCA experts armed with tranquilliser guns joined PSNI officers in the biggest hunt to date to track the killer puma, which has mauled livestock and terrorised the north Antrim farming community.
However, it is feared that the animal may have to be shot on sight by police marksmen in the interests of public safety.
USPCA officers are hoping that if the beast is captured its owner can be identified and may be prosecuted.
The puma is thought to have escaped from a private collector who has as yet not come forward to claim ownership of the animal.
Today's search is focusing on a ten-mile area between Ballycastle and Coleraine, where the wild cat has been spotted on numerous occasions.
The USPCA is confident that the beast will be caught today and experts have been monitoring its behaviour patterns in an attempt to capture it before it kills again.
It is understood that the last known sighting of the animal was at approximately 7pm on Monday evening when it was seen stalking cattle near Ballybogey.
The elusive animal, which has killed four times, appears to have been keeping a low profile in recent weeks and no further killings have been reported to police.
Local farmers are convinced that the animal is living in a remote area of woodland known as the Virgin Moss and say the beast is seen roaming at that location at least once a day.
Police are asking anyone who spots the animal to ring Coleraine police station on 028 703 44122 immediately and stay on the line, keeping the animal in sight until officers can get to the scene.
Belfast Telegraph: 24th September 2003