Rumours of big beasts like panthers, pumas, and leopards in the wild have long been rife in Britain, but officially the only confirmed big cat species in the UK is the European Wildcat. According to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the wildcat is similar to a domestic moggie – but is larger, stockier and has a bushy, black-banded tail.
However, that has not stopped hundreds of "sightings" of big cats across the UK. This may stem from the fact that in the 1970s, a law was introduced, banning such exotic pets, and many owners decided to release their big cats into the wild to avoid expensive rehoming costs. Therefore, it is plausible that several species of big cats choose to call the UK their home, but which ones? Our sister website North Wales Live has compiled this list:
Puma
Pumas are commonly reported in Britain. There are two main types of puma reported in sightings – black pumas and brown pumas. They can reach up to seven feet in length and weigh up to 200 pounds when fully grown. These animals typically live in mountainous regions, but can also be found in forests and grasslands.
Black pumas are the UK’s most frequently "spotted" big cat. They are usually solitary animals but have been known to form small groups. These cats are most often found in wooded areas near urban areas.
Lynx
Lynx are native to Europe, Asia and North America. There are three species – the Eurasian, Canadian and Iberian lynx. The Eurasian lynx is the only species that can be found in the UK. These cats are shy and secretive animals that live in woodlands.
Eurasian lynxes have grey or reddish-grey fur with white spots. They typically grow to be about three feet long and weigh between 15 and 30 pounds when fully grown. A Carpathian lynx escaped from Dartmoor Zoological Park near Plymouth in 2016 - and remained on the run for three weeks before it was eventually recaptured.
Bobcats
Bobcats are smaller than most other big cats. They typically grow to be about 19 to 49 inches long and weigh between 14 and 30 pounds fully grown.
These animals often have a tan fur with dark spots, although some bobcats can be completely black. One of the easiest ways to tell a bobcat apart from other types of big cats is by its tail. Bobcats have short tails that are about four inches long. Other types of big cats have tails that are much longer.
Panther
Panthers are a type of big cat that, although they can be found in many parts of the world, are very rare in the UK. However, people have claimed to see panthers in different parts of the UK, such as the Beast of Cumbria in the Lake District and the Beast of Dartmoor in the South West.
Reports of a large cat roaming around the Lake District have been logged since at least 2003. It is said to be big, black, shiny and panther-like, with piercing yellow eyes and a swishing tail, about 1.2 metres long. Local farmers are adamant there is a family of panthers that decapitate their sheep – as panther teeth, footprints and a mother and its young have all been spotted.
Scottish Wildcat
These are the smallest big cats found in the UK and are known as the “tiger of the Highlands” – as they’re usually only found in the most remote areas of Scotland. They can sometimes look very similar to a very large tabby cat, but they are stockier with a fluffier, blunt tail.
They are very shy and are almost entirely nocturnal, lying in their dens in the daytime or if the weather is bad. Usually, they’ll feed on rabbits and ground-nesting birds on moorland and in woodlands.
They are listed as "critically endangered" in the UK and are threatened by hybridisation — where two different species mix or breed together — with domestic cats.
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