Big cat in Essex

On Wednesday 17th July 2013 a man and his daughter driving in a car on the M25 junction 28 (Brentwood) spotted a massive black cat stalking through a field 150 metres away. The time was 9pm when the cat was witnessed moving slowly through the field. The witnesses in question knew the animal was an extremely large cat as they'd observed one previously in Kent a few years ago. The animal they described was a black leopard (panther) which in the past has been dubbed the 'beast of Brentwood'. However, despite the tacky headlines, such animals have been seen throughout Essex over the last century but things came to a rather embarrassing climax last year when witnesses claimed to have seen a lion on the loose at St Osyth even though such an animal could not survive in the UK wilds. Of course, the 'lion of Essex' became perfect headline fodder for unreliable and sensational major tabloids who had a field day with a fuzzy photograph showing a domestic cat in a field. However, over the years both black leopard and puma have been observed throughout the county. The area in question has been know for its deer population so it will be interesting if such a carcass turns up. One of the witnesses added: "We had a very clear view as it was on a hill. There were no other animals grazing in that field but in the field next to it were lots of deer."

Sighting update...

Due to lecture commitments and writing the blog has been rather quiet but there have been numerous reports of late, all black leopard, from Staplehurst, Gravesend, Maidstone, Dover, Canterbury and Sevenoaks. We are currently in the process of analysing what looks to be leopard scat which was found recently not far from rural Sittingbourne, hopefully we can update you soon. A majority of the reports we've received over the last two months - and there have been nineteen of them - have concerned motorists travelling at dusk with an animal crossing the road. Motorists, alongside dog-walkers, seem the most likely people to see 'big cats' in the wilds, due to being in more remote areas, with some motorists taking lonely back roads. Sadly, a photograph doing the rounds recently on the internet showing a cat slinking alongside some bins is nothing more than just a normal cat - despite a handful of people claiming the cat is "unusual". The cat is far from unusual, because it IS a domestic cat, but as usual, witnesses do at times get excited by blurry photographs. For more intriguing 'panther' footage we recommend the recent Louisiana 'panther' story (with images) to show how authorities, and the public in general respond with regards to so-called 'big cat sightings. The footage can be viewed HERE and whatever the animal is, it's large and does not resemble the 'bobcat' the authorities claimed has left tracks.