Has the Galloway Puma Left a Paw
print?
There have been big cat sightings reported since 1950s in the Dumfries
and Galloway area of Scotland. The cat was dubbed the Galloway Puma by the press
after Canadian tourists claimed to have seen an animal which resembled a cougar
near Kirroughtree, south-east of Newton Stewart in the late 1990s. They saw the animal whilst returning from a walk in the Galloway Forest. It was also seen by locals in Newton Stewart .It was described by most as black, about the size of a Labrador dog, with a long tail and
yellow eyes. Some have described it as sandy coloured, so is there more than one
big cat roaming the countryside in this area?
Many
people, such as local farmers and Forestry workers, reported seeing a big black cat throughout the region. In June
2001, a young woman who was walking her dog near Newton Stewart golf course, was
shaken by what she described as a "large black cat, bigger than an Alsatian",
springing out at her on the path .The
animal ran away after her dog began barking and growling at
it.
There were
reports of attacks on livestock:
In one of
the 21 attacks in Dumfries and Galloway, a report of injured livestock read:
“One sheep was examined by an inspector from the SSPCA who found the injuries to
be unusual and not consistent with an attack from a dog. An attack from wild
boar or a large cat could be possibilities.”
Warnings
were issued:
BEWARE BIG CATS
SAY SCOTS POLICE
By Frank
Ryan
POLICE have issued a "steer clear" warning after a series of big cat
sightings in south Scotland. There have been four recent reports of an animal
described as a lynx, puma or panther in Dumfriesshire. It was seen by two women
in Auldgirth, golfers at nearby Thornhill, a man walking his dogs beside the
River Nith in the village, and by another man in Sanquhar.
Bob McGoran,
deputy head at St Joseph's College, Dumfries, earlier reported seeing an animal
like a North American lynx at John-stonebridge, near the M74.
The
police took the threat seriously.
More
recently in 2013:
Another
big cat sighting Published on the 14
August 2013 Holidaymakers staying at Kirroughtee Hotel outside
Newton Stewart had a close encounter with one of Galloway’s best kept secrets
last Saturday morning - an elusive big cat.
Les Gill and
his partner Linda were looking out of their bedroom window when they both
clearly saw the animal in the hotel grounds. Les said: ”We were standing at the
window looking out when we saw it. I lived in Africa so I know what a big cat
looks like. It was about four foot long from nose to tail and the tail was long
and curled upwards. It was about three foot high and was sandy coloured. It was
60 yards away from us and it was visible for about 25 to 30 seconds.“This was
about eight o’ clock in the morning as we were both stunned. My i-phone was in
the car or a could have taken a photograph. I just felt I should contact the
paper to tell you what we saw as there could be children playing nearby.”In the
past four years 20 big cat sightings have been reported to The Galloway
Gazette.
In
November 2013:
A couple
walking in woods near Carronbridge say they came face to face with a mysterious
big cat.Craig Johnstone, 27, and his girlfriend Gillian Kennedy, 26, were
staying at Trigony House Hotel near Thornhill last weekend.They took their dog
for a walk on Sunday morning when they came across a “large, black cat” lying
down staring at them.Stunned Craig said: “It was around 50 metres away from us
and its head measured approximately one and a half feet from the ground.“It just
stared at us for 30 seconds.“Gillian panicked and moved away. I went with her
but went back after a few seconds to see if I could get a better picture but it
was away.”Craig described the strange creature as being “very stalky, jet black
with small rounded ears”.
It
continues :Craig and Gillian aren’t the
only people to have spotted big cats in the region.Last July, 22-year-old
Samantha Garden was on her way to work in Lockerbie when she noticed a strange
looking creature standing in the middle of the road near Hoddom Bridge.In
January, 2012 Aaron Halliday and Nathan Crosbie spotted a big cat similar to a
panther in a field near Dalbeattie.
And in 2011,
three mysterious cat sightings were reported in the space of a month. Dan
Alexander, of Dumfries, claimed to have seen a creature on the A75 near Newton
Stewart.Before that, Dumbarton lorry driver John Spence said he saw two big cats
dart in front of his vehicle on the same road near Creetown.And on the same day,
Janet Davies spotted an animal near the quarry at Tynron which she called a
panther.
According to
police, big cat sightings are not uncommon in the area but no creature has ever
been traced to verify the claims.
A couple
of weeks ago, a person known to me who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me this
photo of a large paw print .The person was walking a dog on the Lochinch area
when he came across some footprints and
took a snap with a phone. It could be a badger or could it be the Galloway puma?
What do you think?
photo
to go here attached
NB.
Lochinch is a private estate owned by the Earl of Stairs. At present there are
shooting parties on the estate so if anyone wishes to investigate please contact
the estate office so you don’t risk getting shot in mistake for game,
What has Corinna's column of fortean bird news got to do with Cryptozoology?
