We received this eyewitness statement a few days after Max was in the Western Morning News (20/8/2011)
In 1997 we rented a caravan for a week at Challaburgh near Bigbury in south Devon. It was the first week in September. At 8.30 in the evening I decided to try to find a rubbish bin. The holiday camp is in a valley surrounded by farmland, with an outlet to the sea at the bottom. On the left hand side there are bungalows built up the side and on the right hand side is field and a few bushes and trees.
Looking at some birds flying at the top, my gaze travelled downward. I then saw what at first appeared to be a large black dog travelling across the field on a rough path and then realised that it would be difficult to get any closer to it. I then became aware that the tail was large and curved like a cat and the shoulders’ movements also. Puma or leopard came to mind!
It then broke away from the track and came further down the field, and I lost sight of it because of bushes obstructing the view. All this lasted about five minutes. I then saw an elderly couple and I asked if they had seen it. They said that they were aware that others had spotted it and a gent who lived in the bungalows had taken photos of it. Over the next few days I mentioned it to the staff at the camp, but there was not much interest or feedback. However, I did meet a man who helped out a local farmer and who, in the past, had put down sheep that had been savaged by dogs. He related that they had found dead sheep before with wounds that didn’t resemble anything like the damage done by dogs. He also surmised that it might have been a big cat that could have escaped from Sparkwell Wildlife Park. They had reported one had died there a couple of years ago. Had they covered the escape? After that first day there the week went by and we came home to Plymouth and we never did see anything in the press. Anyway, it looks like I’ve found the right people to tell. Thanks. PETER.
In 1997 we rented a caravan for a week at Challaburgh near Bigbury in south Devon. It was the first week in September. At 8.30 in the evening I decided to try to find a rubbish bin. The holiday camp is in a valley surrounded by farmland, with an outlet to the sea at the bottom. On the left hand side there are bungalows built up the side and on the right hand side is field and a few bushes and trees.
Looking at some birds flying at the top, my gaze travelled downward. I then saw what at first appeared to be a large black dog travelling across the field on a rough path and then realised that it would be difficult to get any closer to it. I then became aware that the tail was large and curved like a cat and the shoulders’ movements also. Puma or leopard came to mind!
It then broke away from the track and came further down the field, and I lost sight of it because of bushes obstructing the view. All this lasted about five minutes. I then saw an elderly couple and I asked if they had seen it. They said that they were aware that others had spotted it and a gent who lived in the bungalows had taken photos of it. Over the next few days I mentioned it to the staff at the camp, but there was not much interest or feedback. However, I did meet a man who helped out a local farmer and who, in the past, had put down sheep that had been savaged by dogs. He related that they had found dead sheep before with wounds that didn’t resemble anything like the damage done by dogs. He also surmised that it might have been a big cat that could have escaped from Sparkwell Wildlife Park. They had reported one had died there a couple of years ago. Had they covered the escape? After that first day there the week went by and we came home to Plymouth and we never did see anything in the press. Anyway, it looks like I’ve found the right people to tell. Thanks. PETER.
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