Hunt for an Elusive Beast Moves to Troon as Woman Reports Sighting.
By Alan Campbell.
Hunt for an elusive beast moves to Troon as woman reports sighting.
BIG cat experts are on red alert this week after a positive sighting was reported in South Ayrshire.
Troon has been added to the growing list of reported sightings after large cat-like animals were spotted in Ardrossan, Stewarton, Irvine and Dalry.
A woman living in Troon’s Fraser Avenue claimed to have seen a puma-like animal in broad daylight near her home.
The woman, who asked not to be named, is adamant she saw the cat in the undergrowth just 50 feet from her back garden.
She described the animal as black, about five feet long and having a long tail. It was seen walking slowly through the bushes behind her house which is next to an old railway line and the Darley golf course.
The sighting was made two weeks ago, after the Ardrossan report and before the Stewarton and Irvine sightings last week.
Wandered.
The 43-year-old woman stressed: “I am not mad, and I certainly hadn’t been drinking. “My neighbours have a wee black cat and that is definitely not what I saw out there. “After I spotted it, I got a pair of binoculars just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. “It wandered about the trees and bushes for about 15 minutes and then went out of sight.”
The woman added: “It seemed to be looking for food or something, but I was surprised to see it so close to the houses. “I’d heard of the other sighting recently and perhaps it’s the same one. I’ve heard of them being up on Dundonald Hill as well.”
Police officers were called to investigate cat-like screams in Ardrossan’s Aitken Street last month.
They reported seeing a very large, dark-coloured cat with huge yellow eyes in the bushes. The police dog handler was so worried he refused to send his police dog in to investigate. Another policeman reported seeing a huge cat running out in front of his squad car in Dalry on Sunday.
However, the Scottish Big Cats Society’s Mark Fraser, who lives in Troon, said it was unlikely to be the same animal as in his home town.
After scouring the scene at Troon, looking for tree scratches and droppings, Mark remains convinced of the big cat’s existence.
He said: “Going by the woman’s account, it doesn’t sound like the same one as in Ardrossan. “The police officers said the one they saw may have been brown, whereas this lady is certain it was black.
“But I see there’s a railway line here and big cats have been known to follow things like that. The Ardrossan sighting was right next to a line as well.
“Sometimes they come nearer to houses looking for food or for a mate. The noises in Ardrossan were probably mating calls.
“I didn’t find any evidence here at Troon, but they always seem to be one step ahead of us.”
Mark, who has yet to see the Ayrshire big cat in real life, said there have been dozens of sightings in recent months.
He added: “There are definitely lynx in this area, and there is also something known as the rabbit-headed cat.
Vermin.
“What this woman probably saw was the nearest we have in Scotland to a puma. “There was nearly 200 sightings in Scotland last year and they are growing all the time.” Local landowners have been known to introduce wild cats, bigger than domestic ones, on to farms and golf courses in order to control rabbits and vermin.
Such was the strength of recent sightings that the Scottish Executive has issued a warning to the public.
A spokesman said: “Members of the public have no reason to be alarmed, but should report any sightings or other traces to the police.
“There have been no reports of damage to livestock, but farmers should contact the Agricultural Office in Ayr if that happens.”

INVESTIGATING . .
the Scottish Big Cats Society’s
Mark Fraser (right) and Brian Murphy scour the scene at Troon for
clues of the big cat’s existence.

PUMA IN TROON? . . . a local woman claims to have seen a big cat
like this near her back garden.

Ayrshire Post: 15th January 2003.