The Lion of Essex and other UK 'big cat scares'

Neil Arnold's unedited article concerning the Essex 'lion' scare, and other UK 'big cat' hysteria can be read in the 2023 CFZ Yearbook available on Amazon. For more info the on contents of the issue read more HERE

"I wish I'd had a camera..."

Well, it seems that for every sceptic quick to dismiss reports of so-called 'big cats' there is a witness who comes forward to report another. On Wednesday 6th March 2013 there was a sighting of a black leopard at Sandy Lane, Ashford. A male witness observed the cat, which stood just fifty yards away, at 7:00 am as he was working in the area. Again sceptics will argue that "he should have got a photo" but it must be worth ading that when someone is out working, the last thing they expect to see is a 'big cat.' The witness said: "Something caught my eye and I was drawn to the head and ears of an animal that was at least the size of an alsatian dog - the animal had a long tail, appeared jet black and was looking in my direction. It was about fifty yards away, I could see it wasn't a dog or domestic cat, and I turned away for a few seconds and then looked back and it had gone. I went home and looked on the internet and saw a picture of a 'panther' and that was definitely the cat I saw." A few days previous there was a sighting at Folkestone of a similar animal, this time a female witness whilst visiting her daughter, had been having a cigarette in the garden when she spotted a large black cat mooching through wasteland just a few yards away. The animal slinked off into undergrowth. The witness stated, "If it had been a domestic cat it would have been relatively small considering the distance but this thing was huge, and was built like a big cat. I wish I'd had a camera..." If we could have a pound for every time we heard a witness say "I wish I'd had a camera..." but this is a natural reaction. However sceptical you may be to the existence of such animals roaming our wilds, not everyone sleeps, drives, or has a cigarette with their camera at the ready. Most sightings reported last only a few seconds, and in most cases involve animals in the distance. Unless a leopard walks up to someone we're pretty much of the opinion that a majority of photo's and pieces of film footage will be heavily criticised, which is understandable. And so, we have to rely on other evidence - and yet even faeces, paw prints, and sheep/deer kills are arrogantly dismissed, leaving us asking the question, just what evidence will be good enough? A dead cat? Well, lynx, jungle cat and leopard cat have been shot or run over, still not sufficient evidence? Hopefully the number of trigger camera's set up in woodlands across the UK will get a convincing photo, but even then we're sure that the sceptics will argue that the animal on film is an escapee from a zoo.

'Beast' of Blue Bell Hill seen at Detling?

A large black cat was seen on 19th Feb' 2013 by a motorist sitting in traffic on Detling Hill. The animal sped alongside the edge of a wood and out of sight. Sceptics could argue that it was simply a domestic cat, but considering the animal was in the distance it was reported as being of some considerable size, its description matching another black leopard report from Alkham Valley made by a doctor recently. On this occasion the animal, which was some 80 yards away, was described as being 'colossal' in size compared to a domestic cat and sped away with grace.

Puma sighting

A puma has been sighted during the morning of 18th February 2013, near Crundale. A woman walking her dogs observed the cat which sped across a field. This has been the 13th sighting this month received by KENT BIG CAT RESEARCH, but only the second pertaining to puma.

Was there a leopard in the tree?

This report comes from 2nd February 2013 by an Ashford lady: "I was out walking my 3 dogs with my 16 year old son at 6pm this evening. We were walking on a footpath alongside the river Stour, between Ashford rugby club and the M20. There were mature trees to our left, between us and the river. We heard movement in the trees accompanied by loud cracking and breaking of branches. I was convinced that there was someone in the trees. because of the loud noises. The noises could not have been made by a fox or rabbit. My son then froze on the spot and then told me to start running. When we stopped he inquired if I had seen the eyes. I hadn't. He described them as big and yellow and a good height off the ground. My son's impression was that he thought he had seen a very large black cat. I immediately dismissed i,t as I felt that if it had been such a creature, that it would have attacked the dogs. My son was completely convinced and very frightened by the whole incident. We feel we should report what my son saw and I certainly have no explanations for the sounds that we heard." There has also been a report of a smaller cat, with a banded tail, from the Bethersden area of Ashford. A Mr Smith emailed to say: "I have just stumbled upon your website having had a strange encounter a couple of weeks ago that has intrigued me. I was driving down Pluckley Road in Bethersden and had just turned left out of Mill Lane at about 8pm when about 40' in front of me, crossing the road from left to right was what I first assumed to be a large dog fox. I almost instantly changed my mind as the animal was very obviously a large cat with a banded tail? It was night time plus the whole encounter lasted a mater of seconds so I couldn't describe colouring with any certainty other than it appeared to be similar to a domestic tabby cat. I know most people would say that it was probably a trick of light and that I mis-judged the cats size, but I am a land Surveyour by trade and are used to gauging sizes and distances on a daily basis. Also by the time the animal reached the other side of the road and disappeared into the hedgerow I was very close. Could you let me know if there have been any similar sightings locally? I know that several people in the area have witnessed large cats before, but I think these have been described as black? Also, do you have any ideas as to what type of cat I could have witnessed?"

Paw print

This interesting paw-print photo was taken near High Halstow in Kent recently. Sadly the witness only photographed one print (there were several of these). None show claw indentations and all show a lack of symmetry with the two central toes. Opinion seems divided on these prints. Of the 19 people who were originally sent the photo, 14 thought it was made by a large cat, the rest stated the possibility of a very large dog.

There has been a sighting recently of a large black cat at Thannington.
"Back in July 2012 my husband saw a large black animal (larger than a fox) crossing the road outside of Chartham just past where Cockering Road joins Milton Manor Road on the way to Thannington, Canterbury. Tonight he saw the same size and type of black animal (about a labrador size) at almost the exact place at around 5.15 pm travelling downhill in the direction of the river Stour (last time it was travelling uphill away from there at around 9pm in the evening). He was sure it wasn't a fox or domestic cat or dog, by it's size, the way it moved like "big" cat (it wasn't in a hury this time, last time it raced at speed across the road, too fast for our native and domestic animals), and he was certain it was black. My son (of 17) was also in the car tonight and verifies the description, as last Saturday we saw a black panther at Wingham Wildlife Park and he said it was similar to this. They also commented on the way its eyes shone yellow in the car headlamps."

Possible puma sighting at Hamstreet.

Report received 8th January 2013: "On Saturday 6 Jan at 18:00ish - We were travelling along Birchett Lane toward Hamstreet, about 600 yards short of the main road a large cat crossed the road in front of the car, it was light in colour, larger than a Fox, long fat tail curved up and very distinctive head and ears, it's paws were large and flat (if that makes sense?)."