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 Beast of Buchan Feared on the Prowl Near Farm By Jim Duffell

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Beast of Buchan Feared on the Prowl Near Farm By Jim Duffell

Press & Journal: 30th October 2006

The Aberdeen Press & Journal
   
The big black beast may be back - and farmer Jim Cantlay is starting to believe the tall tales.
The 77-year-old found the savaged carcass of a sheep in a field, fuelling the belief that the Beast of Buchan is prowling the North-east again.
The attack, which happened at Nether Broadmuir Farm, near Cruden Bay, left little but bones for the farmer to pick up.
The dad-of-five said: "I saw something on the ground near my tractor. I went over and there was nothing but bone.
"It didn't even look like a sheep.
"I've never seen anything like it."
Jim, who has never believed tales in the past, now is not so sure.
The farmer has had sheep attacked in the past by dogs.
But he said: "It must have been bigger than a dog - the rib cage had been stripped of flesh."
Jim, who lives alone, said there had been sightings in the area recently.
"A few of the oil workers at the oil tanks near the farm have seen a huge cat skulking around," he said.
"But I've yet to see it myself."
He hopes DNA tests will be carried out to determine what type of animal attacked his sheep.
The big cat - or an animal like it - has reportedly been spotted in Aberdeenshire on a number of occasions over the years.
An animal has even been seen near McDonald's on the outskirts of Peterhead.
It is believed up to 100 big cats have been released into the countryside since the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was passed in 1976.
This made it illegal to own pumas and other big cats without proper permission. Many just let their animals go at the time.
One famous beast - Felicity the Puma - was caught on a farm near Inverness in 1980.
After her death, she was stuffed and put on display at Inverness Museum.
jduffell@ajl.co.uk

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.

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