Sightings of 'big cats' across the West Country have been widely shared, with some even saying they have DNA following a sheep attack. Among the most convincing cases, presenter Clare Balding spotted a mysterious creature in the Wye Valley while she was recording a BBC Radio 4 episode.
During audio shared on TikTok from the moment, she says: "It's disappeared completely hasn't it, it's gone off into the woods and disappeared. I should point out that I never knew that there were stories of a big black cat, so when I saw it I didn't even say to you 'look', I just thought 'Oh look'.
"But you know I was just trying to describe it so I promise you, I'm not making it up. It looks very big to me.
READ MORE: 'Big cat' spotted scaling tree in the West Country
"And it didn't scuffle, it was just kind of was very confident."
She was interviewing Roger Smith, a village footpath officer, who told her there had been stories of big cat sightings ever since he moved to the area 20 years ago. He said: "Well, who knows? No one's actually got a photograph of it.
"I saw it, I saw it really clearly sitting here. I've seen a black cat here the size of our Rottweiler.
"And our friends have seen a big black cat feeding on a deer carcass."
Dozens of people replied to the video, with many claiming to have seen the creature themselves. One follower wrote: "Saw a melanistic jaguar or leopard 22 yrs ago in Wales. I swore in front of my mum for the 1st time without getting a slap."
Another said: "There are so many abandoned railway tunnels, its easy for them to travel if they are here." A third penned: "I’m certain I saw one in Lincolnshire last summer in a farmer's field."
Last week, a man driving home late at night in the Cotswolds says he saw a big cat that was as tall as the lights on his Land Rover Freelander. He spotted the creature for a fleeting moment while he was stopped at traffic lights.
Steve Woodman, from Chipping Campden, was on his way back from work at around 1am on Monday (May 15) when he saw the big black cat. The 45-year-old, who was once a sceptic, says now he knows big cats are out there because he has seen one for himself, reports GloucestershireLive.
For more information on big cats, click here.
UP NEXT:
- Big cats live among us and I don't care if you don't believe it'
Cyclist attacked by 'puma' as police share numbers of reported big cat sightings
- 'Big cat' caught on camera in West Country after Storm Noa
- Mystery as 'big black cat' is spotted roaming fields around Old Sodbury pub
- Big cat seen prowling for food and 'seasonal search for mate' near airport
