BIG CAT NEWS: Three more in Gloucestershire

The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper column inches than any other cryptozoological subject.

There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived in some way by us, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.

It takes a long time to do, and is a fairly tedious task, so I am not promising that they will be done each day, but I will do them as regularly as I can. JD

More big cats lead to call for police to patrol Gloucester

This is Gloucestershire
THREE new big cat sightings have been reported in Gloucester during the last week – prompting calls for police to patrol urban areas to keep people safe. Panther-like creatures have been reported in areas including Hempsted, Barnwood and Kingsway.

As I have said on a number of occasions recently Gloucestershire really seems to be where it is at as far as British Big Cat sightings are concerned at the moment. But at the risk of being accused of getting all existential on you all, one has to ask the question whether this proliferation of reports is because there are more big cats in the area, or whether it is because there are some very diligent researchers there (Rick Minter et al), combined with a plethora of journalists who appear to be interested in the subject.

The latest reports are of black 'panther-like' creatures (well two of them are, at least - the third is more vague). Witness John Wildsmith saw "a big cat the 'size of an Alsatian dog' prowling menacingly on fields behind his back garden." He says he was "startled".