Shropshire Star

Shropshire man says he has proof big cats are in the county

A man claims he has proof that big cats exist in the county. Guy Smith said he had seen one of the mysterious creatures more than once on his land in Craven Arms.

Published

Images which show a deer carcass and footprints in the snow finally provide evidence that big cats exists in Britain, according to Mr Smith, who said a big cat expert in Holland confirmed their authenticity.

Dozens of people have come forward with sightings of big cats roaming the Shropshire and Powys countryside after the Shropshire Star revealed that there had been 14 sightings reported to Dyfed-Powys Police since 2009.

Remnants of a roe deer

Mr Smith, of Black Hill in Craven Arms, said he had been visited by a caracal, a wild cat also known as the desert lynx. He added: "My daughter and her partner watched one darting in and out of thick gorse, obviously hunting rabbits.

"Three years ago I was called out by a neighbouring farmer to look at a line of tracks in the snow. The footmarks showed the animal walked with extended claws and only two large felines do this, caracal and cheetah.

"The photographs, including one which I outlined with potting compost in the snow, were sent to the late Andrew De Nahlik, a big cat expert from Holland. He confirmed that the tracks were undoubtedly those of a caracal.

"I have seen a big cat on the field opposite my house in broad daylight. A week or so later we found the remains of a roe deer on my own land, undoubtedly the kill of a big cat. The caracal has been seen again within the past six months."

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