Left - domestic cat photographed at Sussex.Over the last two days I've conducted two lectures to more than 300 people, and it's always amazing how many people come forward to report sightings of 'big cats' that otherwise they would have kept quiet. Witnesses come from all walks of life but it does help when someone who sees a 'big cat' has had some experience with differing species of cat. One chap came forward to say that a few years ago whilst walking at Pembury he'd seen a black leopard - I completely trusted his opinion as he'd worked with leopards many years ago. In the last few weeks there have been sightings of lynx and leopard from varying parts of Kent - Longfield (lynx), Dartford (black leopard), Sjeppey (black leopard), Sevenoaks (lynx) and Hempstead, near Gillingham (black leopard), Sitingbourne (black leopard) and in most cases I could say that I trusted the witnesses and their descriptions. However, it must be said that not all witnesses know what they are seeing, and too many times photographs and blurry film footga eof alleged 'big cats' makes its way onto websites and into newspapers when the reality is the images clearly show nothing more than domestic cats. This is very frutrating. I recall a few years ago one of the reputable (!) tabloids featured a photo on its front page of an alleged 'big cat' perched on a wall, whilst several cows grazed near it. The paper at the time claimed the photo showed the 'beast of Bodmin' and yet anyone with half a brain could tell it was a domestic cat - the shortness of the tail, the small pointed ears 9which happened to be close together), the short legs etc, etc. This happens all the time, and time and time again it allows the sceptics to make a mockery of decent research.

I present here a handful of images taken by people who claimed they'd seen a 'big cat' - naturally, some people will have genuine misinterpretations of dogs, feral cats, foxes etc, but the first image, taken at Jevington, Sussex, a few years ago, is interesting because the witness was adamant he'd photographed a black leopard. The photo made the local newspaper and yet clearly shows a domestic cat - even from a domestic cat anyone with a good eye should be able to tell the different between a leopard and a domestic cat - even a leopard cub shouldn't be confused with a domestic cat. The leopard has a long, curving tail, rounded ears, a muscular frame, especially in the shoulder and measures between 4 - 7 feet in length. Even a large domestic cat cannot match the description of a 'big cat'.

Left - the 'blob' of Sheppey - a domestic cat.The next image was taken at Sheppey not long ago, and I don't blame the witnesses for photographing it. The image shows a black dot in the distance, sitting at the edge of a field, stalking prey, but again, despite being a poor photo it does not show a black leopard. Also, another image more recently was passed around varying sources after someone claimed to have photographed the 'beast of Essex' and yet once again it is simply an unusual species of domestic cat. Whilst there are known to be smaller exotic cats in the UK - such as leopard cat, jungle cat, ocelot, and possibly caracal, and even jaguarundi, the photographs that appear in numerous papers etc, clearly do not show anything remotely exotic. It baffles me why newspapers etc use such images. Last year a paper down in East Kent sent me several photographs of a 'black cat' slinking along a street in the early hours of a morning. The reporter asked me what I thought about the "interesting photo's" andI just burst out laughing. The photo's clearly showed a domestic ca, nothing more nothing less, and yet several members of staff at the paper were sure this was a big cat. I get so many photo's sent to me by people who claim they've photographed 'big cats', and 99% of the time the images are of domestic animals, nearly always a moggy skulking along the edge of a field. Last year I visited a lady in Northfleet after she phoned me to say she'd photographed a puma in her back garden. I refuse to gte excited about any call until I fully investigate further, and in most cases photo's, and even a lot of sightings turn out to be nothing. Even so, I travelled to Northfleet and chatted with the lovely lady who showed me where in her garden this 'puma' had been and then she produced the photo - a domestic cat, albeit a rather matted loking one, sitting on a paving slab in her garden. The paving slab, in length, measured about 12 inches, hardly a monster cat! I asked the woman if she knew what a puma was, and she said, "Yes, that's one in the photo!"

Left - the 'beast of Essex' - simply an unusual species of domestic.I'm sure to this day she still has the photo and probably tells her family and friends it's a big cat and that I was mad for dismissing it, but as I always say to people, regarding 'big cat' evidence, you have to eliminate everything else first before considering 'big cat'. Another image I was sent came from a Mr Owens and reported seeing an unual spotted cat roaming around the outside of his property at Goudhurst. When he sent the photo I was amazed to see a lovely Bengal Cat. The striking markings, long tail, and muscular shoulder didn't suggest a 'big cat' but certainly an expensive pet that had obviously escaped from somewhere. The Bengal Cat is hybrid of domestic cat and leopard cat, and is a formidable predator in the wild but will be more than happy to show itself to humans. Nowadays such cats are kept as pets, and other forms of smaller exotic cats are also doing the rounds, some costing around £12,000! Not the sort of animal you'd want to escape from your house.

One must always remember that on too many occasions ohotographs that appear in newspapers or on internet sites and even on the news, are dubious to say the least, and if such an animal doesn't look like a leopard then it most likely isn't. It's always great to receive photographs of posisble 'big cats' and their evidence, but always try to get some type of scale when photographing animals from a distance, don't just take one photo, and if you can, try to approach, or at least, if the animal moves out of sight, go to the area and get a photo of you standing there, to judge height etc. Only recently film footage showing an alleged 'big cat' at Gloucestershire was palstered all over the main news (even though the footage was taken over a year previous) and to prove it was a 'big cat' the local researcher visited the area with a cardboard cut-out of what I presume was meant to be a 'big cat' although it looked like a deformed domestic cat. These are the sort of problems in judging scale etc, but hopefully the photo's I've presented here will give you an idea of what not to look for! Below, beautiful Bengal cat photographed in Kent in 2009.

A majority of people who see so-called 'big cats' in the wilds of Britain, are usually walking or driving alone. When these people report their sightings they are ridiculed, but on the occasion there are sightings which involve two or more witnesses. As I mentioned in a previous post there have been numerous sightings over the Easter period of so-called 'big cats' across the south-east and I've received around 10 sightings in three days, 9 of these have been in broad daylight. A majority of these are under investigation. However, when I receive reports of 'big cats' people often ask me if their children are safe to go out in the woods. I can understand why some parents are unsettled by the possibility of a large, predatory cat roaming their backyard. Today was one of those days. In the last two days I've had 3 reports of exotic cats involving small children. One of these came from the wooded areas of Sittingbourne, and involved a group of small children playing in woods near their houses. All of them came running home screaming, telling a parent they'd seen a large cat. One of the children said it was a "jaguar". Now, there are no jaguars roaming the UK, but after speaking with the worried parent it became clear the children had seen a lynx. Interestingly enough they all described, separately, the white underside of the animal as it gazed at them as it sat on a log. They all described a yellowy-orange coat, which had unusual mottled markings. (Left - Mick Cole claimed these wounds were inflicted by a lynx he cornered)

The lynx was said to have been eradicated from Britain's a woodlands a few thousand years ago. Some researchers believe it was an elusive enough animal to have hung on until modern times, but this has never been verified. We do know, however, that in the early 19th century a lynx was shot dead toward the West Country, and many 'big cat' researchers often quote naturlist William Cobbet who in his Rural Rides book spoke of seeing a large cat in a tree at Waverley in Surrey a few centuries ago - although this animal may have been the wildcat, now confined to Scotland. The lynx is a beautiful leggy animal, known for its short almost tuft of a tail, its tufted ears, and striking mottled coat. I had the fortune to share a cage with a lynx a few years ago whilst working with the BBC, and these animals are incredibly elusive.

It's highly unlikely the lynx seen in Sittingbourne was eyeing up the children for dinner. The animal was seen not far from a pheasant pen, and such birds would be ideal prey for a cat. I can certainly understand the concern of parents though when their children run home screaming they've seen a big cat in their woods. Parents want people like me to do something about it, but I cannot take the law into my own hands and build a cage and attempt to trap an animal. It's a catch 22 situation. I always advise that people do not approach, corner, injure such animals, and yet at the back of my mind there is always that worry that one day, just one day a large cat will strike at a child. Take for instance the case a few years ago now of Gravesend man Mick Cole who allegedly walked into his back garden and saw what he first took to the be a fox with a rabbit in its mouth. Mick, an optician, approached the animal which allegedly took a swipe at his hand leaving several nasty gashes. Some would say the witness should have gone to Specsavers, but joking aside, if this really did happen then we have a problem. The animal was simply defending itself, no wild animal should be cornered. Fair play to Mr Cole, he said it was his own fault, but if this had bene a child can you imagine the uproar it would have caused, especially when you consider the controversy recent alleged fox attacks have caused.

In 2005 a man living in Sydenham, south-east London, claimed that he was leapt upon one night, by a black leopard, which was in his back garden cornering his domestic cat. There's no evidence whatsoever to suggest this story was nothing more than a hoax but it didn't stop the press and the police swarming the scene looking fot he 'beast of Sydenham'. There was also a report over Easter concerning a young girl who whilst walking home to her house in rural Maidstone saw a very large black cat pacing back and forth near a dead tree. The girl was petrified and told her parents who phoned me. Then, several more people reported seeing a massive black cat near Blue Bell Hill. The animal had been quite happy to visit a few back gardens.

I'd hate to think what the response would be if a child claimed they'd been scratched by a large cat. Mind you, a few years ago a Josh Hopkins, who lives in Gloucestershire claimed he was scratched by a black leopard which clawed him across his face. Interestingly, apart from the newspapers, no-one else seemed to respond to this alleged encounter. Are the authorities happy for this to continue, or are they waiting for the time when a large cat actually attacks and eats a child ? In the United States with cougar, and in Africa and Asia, with leopard, attacks are rare but they do occur. Strangely, in the UK most attacks on humans, especially children, are carried out by dogs, and whilst these cause uproar, there appears to be no real against people owning such dangerous animals. Leopard and puma are, of course, a different matter, they shouldn't be here. At the moment such animals seem very comfortable with the UK wilds, and there is easily enough prey to support a viable, albeit small population. A few years ago I liaised with professional animal trapper and tracker, zoologist Quentin Rose (who sadly passed away) and he always looked beyond the silly mystery and scepticism regarding these 'big cats' and was concerned about the rise in numbers and potential attacks on humans. He believed that such animals required an official investigation but also stated quite categorically that this would involve trapping such animals and either shipping them to zoo parks or destroying them. I don't condone either of these methods and this seems unlikely to happen due to lack of time and resources from the groups concerned. Even so, an attack on a person, especially a child may change all this.

For now, there are only two opinins on 'big cats' in the UK - they do exist or they don't, and it doesn't go anywhere beyond this. Official groups, such as 'Natural England', have stated in the past that there's no evidence to suggest such animals exist, this is a rather worrying statement considering the amount of evidence that does exist. Sceptics state that these stories are made up yet haven't a clue about what 'big cat' evidence looks like, and then there are the believers, most who are quite genuine people who've simply gone out of their way to report something unusual. Of course, the situation brings with it the weirdo's and conspiracy theorists and paranormal views, and most mysteries do have that effect, but when you cast aside the nutcases, hoaxes, and misinterpretations, there's still a significant body of evidence to suggest there are black leoard, puma, lynx, and some smaller species of cats roaming the UK. As I always state, no evidence is good enough, and even if a child - perish the thought - is attacked, I'm sure someone will scoff, or dismiss the case or claim it was simply an escapee. One part of me hopes the dreaded attack will never occur and that these cats are left alone - in that case the sceptics can continue to bitch, but there's another part of me that wants to see official investigations, which will cost enormous amounts of money, and possibly involve trapping some of these cats for the sake of science.

I recently read another of those predictable blog posts from someone claiming that 'big cat' sightings were hyperbole (exaggeration). That's fine by me, it's your opinion, but try telling that to four screaming kids and a terrified and deeply concerned parent. I'm sure there are many people out there willing to laugh at 'big cat' sightings and my research, but when I present evidence such as deer found high up in trees, rams and their fleece rasped off, large chains of scat consisting of deer fur, scratch marks 10 feet up a tree, enormous paw prints unlike a dog, then I expect the sceptic to tell me the alternative as to what did this and instead of sitting behind a PC saying what can and cannot be, try getting out there and looking at the evidence and interviewing the witnesses you claim are insane or making all this up. At the moment, my money is on the very likely possibility there are large cats around. I'll prove to you there is, but can you prove to me there isn't ?

 (Left - lynx shot in Northern Ireland in the 1990s)

The Easter period has been extremely busy regarding reported sightings of what the newspapers like to call 'big cats'. I'm sure the sceptics and detractors will be eager to give this post a 1 star out 5 rating, but these blog posts are merely being put out there for the interest of those interested, and the sceptics who wish to learn more.

In the last four days there have been sightings of black leopard at Aylesford, Harrietsham, Sheppey, and Ashford - unlikely to be one solitary cat doing the rounds, crossing strong rivers etc. There IS more than one black leopard prowling Kent and yet I recently watched a hilarious interview with a zoo keeper who stated categorically that if there were leopards roaming England then there'd be slaughtered livestock everywhere. What complete rubbish. Leopards could easily survive on a diet of rabbit 9there'd be no remains either), pheasants, pigeons, and deer, we know this because of the scat we've found consisting of deer fur etc. In 2001 I worked with Chris Packham. Now, I'm of the opinion that Mr Packham may, deep down, believe that there are puma and lynx roaming the UK, and yet when they interviewed a 'big cat' keeper down at Marwell Zoo, the guy dismissed sightings of leopard in the UK, stating there was no evidence. It's rather sad that no-one actually looks at the abundance of evidence being presented, and then whe the evidence does come to light they say it's probably from an escaped cat!!! Bizarre.

Anyway, the sightings of the Sheppey black leopard persist despite the naysayers, and every report made over the Easter holiday was of a black cat in broad daylight. The Ashford report concerned a couple driving back from Rye when the animal bounded across a field. The female witness reported seeing the blotchy markings under the dark coat - these markings being the rosette pattern. The Harrietsham sighting concerned a young girl who saw a huge black cat pacing near a dead tree. She ran all the way home to tell her parents. At Aylesford several young children reported seeing a massive black cat in their garden. So, can we assume that all these witnesses are hallucinating ? Sure, eye witness reports can be taken with a pinch of salt but there are thousands of reports of 'big cats', some by police officers, some by government scientists and conservationists, others made by doctors, and some even by sceptical folk.

I've always been happy to answer any questions sceptics may have regarding so-called 'big cats' in the wilds of the UK. The case for the existence of 'big cats' in the UK can no longer be doubted, I just wish that the doubters would actually crawl out from under the nose they can't see any further than, and look at the evidence.

I recall a few years ago that on the outskirts of London there had been numerous reports of domestic cats being killed, and in most cases eaten. Bromley, Bexley, Orpington, Petts Wood, etc, had various so-called 'cat rippings'. Instead of looking at the evidence the local press, and even the police, decided a cat serial killer was on the loose! A criminal psychologist was called in in an attempt to find the killer! Clearly, judging by some of the carcasses that were found, a large predatory cat was responsible - the puncture marks in the throat, the rasped flesh - but, after hitting too many dead ends, the local authorities blamed a fox!!!! So, what started happening ? People started killing foxes. The 'phantom cat ripper' moved on, but domestic cats were still being killed around the area.

There have been numerous reports in and around London of so-called 'big cats'. People scoff at the idea that a large cat could roam the capital - now, I'd never expect a lepard, puma et al, to be walking through Oxford Street, far from it, but the outskirts of the capital have several green, heavily wooded areas. Sydenham, Abbey Wood, Belvedere, and of course Surrey, are areas a large cat would prowl at night getting from A to B. In the '60s London was also the place where people kept such cats as pets. And in abundance. There are so many stories of people owning exotic cats, and I've put several of these in my latest book Mystery Animals of the British Isles: London. I was amazed at just how many people owned exotic cats, mainly puma and smaller cats, and kept them in their homes. I'm sure most of you will recall the fantastic story of Christian the lion cub who was purchased from Harrods Dept Store. But many of you will not recall the abundance of other cases where people owned exotic animals, so the book is worth a read if you're interested in 'big cat' stories and London's more beastly aspects of folklore.

Mystery Animals of the British Isles: London is available from Amazon.co.uk  etc

Over the last couple of decades there have bene numerous articles, and a handful of books, written pertaining to 'big cat' in the UK countryside. What I find amazing is the sheer lack of decent evidence presented in such works. Local news, magazines, newspapers, and even major news stations seem all too keen to feature the latest blurry photo of an alleged 'big cat' and yet the more obscure evidence found is far more conclusive yet largely ignored. In a recent post I mentioned how a whisker of a large cat, possibly a leopard had been found in Ashford by a woman who, during the snowfall had found a large set of paw prints in her garden that had clearly upset the behaviour of her pet cat. I now present a photo of the whisker, which measures some six inches. I also present a photo of a leopard showing how the whisker compares. This whisker - as naturalist Jonathan McGowan states, is certainly from a large cat, possibly a leopard. Judging by recent sightings around Ashford, a black leopard seems the ideal suspect. On 29th March 2012 a black leopard was seen by a motorist travelling on the A20070 towards Ashford. It was around 12:20 pm when the witness noticed a large, black, sleek-looking anima running across a field near the area of the military canal. The animla had a long tail with a rounded end. The witness stated, "I have seen a black cat at a zoo before, I think it was a jaguar - the cat I saw differed in frame - the one I saw was more slender."

Left, whisker of leopard for comparison to above image of whisker. There has also bene a recent sighting near Edenbridge, and the animal - or at least its back - may well have been caught on film. A dead fox was eaten by an unseen predator that returned to the carcass the following night. The animal slinked by a trigger camera which flashed once, getting a photo of the long back of the animal.

More leopard scat has also been found in Kent, a great contact of mine stumbled across the distinctive scat - full of deer fur - in an area where deer and fox carcasses have been piling up. People must be walking past so much 'big cat' evidence all the time without realising it. Whilst newspapers may not be interested in stories, or photo's of leopard scat, whiskers, and sheep/deer kills, I'd take this evidence any day over another blurry inconclusive photo of an alleged 'big cat'.

On the 24th March I received the following eye-witness report, concerning a possible black leopard sighting at Ulcombe, in rural Maidstone. The email read:

"I sighted a black cat this morning at about 11:15 this morning.  I was walking down Windmill hill towards Pie Corner with my dog and I saw a black object which at first glance llooked ike a black rubbish bag on the side of the road. I was about 200 yards away as I got closer it turned out to be a large black cat and it was going to the toilet; at this point it was about 100 yards away from me. It looked up at me and the dog , then it finished what it was doing, got up and ambled across the road showing no fear and went through a hedge and disappeared. I went to where I thought it went through the hedge to see if I could see it in the field but it was not to be seen. I went back to where it had gone to the toilet to look for scat but could not find anything so I guess it was having a wee. It was strange there were two pheasants wandering near by one only a few feet away from it, they seemed not nervous of it and it did not have any interest in them so I guess it had eaten.  The cats tail was long, I would think as long as its body  and had the head of a leopard and I am guessing I would think it was a very young adult ( not quite a kitten and not quite an adult) adolescent is the word I was trying to think of. I hope this is of help."

Over the last few years Ulcombe had produced several sightings of an overly large cat. There are many woods and fields around the area, and certainly lots of food. A few years ago I was contacted by an Ulcombe resident who claimed that she'd got a photo of a large black cat in her back garden. The witness is very genuine, and the photo, which appeared in the local KM paper, certainly appeared to show some type of black cat. The image was snapped on a trigger camera, and it caused quite a alot of debate and sadly, when the witness posted the photo to various sites asking about the animal in the photo, she was criticised, which was extremely unfair. I visited the garden of the lady in question and took a thorough look around the area. The photo certainly showed a large black cat-like animal sitting on its haunches, just a few feet away from the woman's back door. I showed the photo to naturalists, zoologists and a number of wildlife researchers, and a majority agreed that it was a very large animal. The detractors spat their dummies out and began making personal insults, stating that I'd said the image was a leopard, when in fact I hadn't. However, whilst some people believd it was nothing more than a domestic cat and it's their right to have an opinion) certain details didn't add up. For a start, the cat in the photo was, when sitting on its haunches ,almost as high as the tulip fencing, which is three-feet high. Sceptics claimed the animal was a domestic cat that was sitting on something, but interestingly, there was nothing for the animal to sit on except a flower bed.

The trigger camera had been placed at the bottom of the garden facing the house and the animal was seen peering to the right. In the photograph the animal has large, bright eyes, long greyish/white whiskers but due to the poor picture quality of the camera, no species could be confirmed. One zoologist told me that the animal was a sub-adult leopard, another stated it was a large feral cat. Others suggested the animal was a hybrid, "But of what ?," I asked with a degreee of scepticism.

Whatever the animal is in the photo, it has left paw prints in the garden, and may well be visiting the area frequently - probably because within fifty yards there are woods and rolling fields. The photograph is a mystery, like so many other alleged 'big cat' photographs. What saddened me was the fact that a genuine witness had come forward to report her find and was criticised by a number of so-called researchers who clearly didn't look at the photo with any depth or investigate the area, or measure the fence etc.

The recent sighting of a young black leopard in Ulcombe adds weight to what I've believed all along - that there are at least two black leopards roaming the fields not far from Ulcombe. Whether one is in the trigger came' photo we'll never know, but when witnesses come forward to report their sightings or present their evidence they certainly shouldn't be ridiculed. After all, there are far less conclusive photographs in published works which claim to be 'big cats', when they are nothing more than domestic cats.

There is a posisbility the Ulcombe cat was the same animal seen recently near Paddock Wood by a woman on a train. Witnesses often report sleek black cats with smallish head, and I've read some hilarious theories that these animals are melanistic (of dark pigment) pumas, but a melanistic puma would still have a slate grey/white underside. Also, a female leopard would have a smaller head than the male, so it's no real mystery when people report sleek-looking black cats. Interestingly, there has been recent press coverage elsewhere in the country of a melanistic fox - the white brush of the tail still evident. I'm sure a few people will come forward now and claim that the black foxes can be used to explain big cat sightings, but the walk and look of a fox, even in the distance is nothing like a black leopard. For a start, the tail is very different - even a mangy fox does not resemble a leopard, and the muzzle of a fox and awkward gait is also a dead give away.

It seems a very popular hobbie nowadays to go out into the countryside and set up trigger camera's,and many people believe this is the only chance we have of getting a 'big cat' on film. Sometimes I agree with this, other times I don't. There's nothing like seeing a 'big cat' in the wilds with your own eyes. However, in this age of advanced technology there is an obsession with getting these animals on film - mainly for personal gain, or an ego boost and five minutes of fame. All I will say is that if you do get one on film, make sure the image is crystal clear, otherwise you may end up looking a fool or being made out to be a fool. I'm sure the tabloids or large presas agencies will give you a couple of quid for it and it'll make the front page for ten minutes, but it will only prove one thing - our desire to run off and reveal our find to the press. 'Big cats' in the wilds of the UK could be monitored for many years, but this requires patience, and a love of nature in general. After the hassle the witness got after getting the snap of the mystery cat in Ulcombe, I can see why others may not be so forthcoming with their evidence.

Conducting lectures pertaining to unusual animals in the wilds of the south-east is so exciting - but some people ask, "Don't you get bored talking about the same topic time and time again ?", and the answer to that is a resounding, "Of course not." Not only do I always alter the talks, but I believe that I've found a niche in the way I present evidence in the sense that I try not to bore people to death like so many speakers have the ability to do. Anyone can get up and rattle on about a variety of subjects whilst pointing at a projector screen, but thankfully, over the years I've had so many strange experiences that conducting lectures, up to eleven times a week, that the talks are always fresh. I've been to some very remote places, from eerie village halls in the middle of nowhere, to vast auditorium's, to people's front rooms and of course schools and scout groups - some who prefer me to lecture out in the woods. I feel it is important that when giving a lecture people are drawn in to the subject, as if they were there with me, and it's always important to add humour. However, the best thing about giving talks is meeting so many people across the country. Essex, London, Sussex, Devon, Kent, - there are so many people out there interested in the subject of strange animals in the UK and many people who attend my talks often report to me their findings and experiences.

I've spoken to raging sceptics, who, once they've heard me speak, admit to now being believers, and there are those people who for all their life have never reported something that has happened to them and it comes as a relief when they are able to do so. This is a subject that, despite its seeming mystery is very serious. I enjoy presenting the evidence rather than turning up dressed in camo' gear armed with a handful of cuddly leopard toys. The aim is not to frighten people but simply to educate them.

Due to the fact I've conducted so many lectures over the years and spoken to thousands of people, my name tends to get passed around, which in most cases is a good thing. This way it means people can call me with their sightings and evidence and occasionally some people come forward with experiences that seem a little way off from the norm'. For instance, a few years ago I came in possession of a photo allegedly showing a puma strung up in a tree somewhere in Kent woodland. As soon as I looked at the colour image of the light brown cat I could tell it wasn't a puma - if anything the animal seemed to be a domestic cat, and it also looked as if the photo was a hoax in the sense that someone had taken a photo of a cat, then cu it out, and then stuck it on a woodland background as if it were hanging from a branch. I had heard in the past that someone was touting this elusive image around claiming it was a cat they'd caught in a snare. I'm sure a few folks in a local pub somewhere had probably fallen for the story. And then the legend died down.

Recently I conducted a talk in North Kent and was approached by a lady who discreetly told me that a relative of hers owned a photo showing a "puma" strung up from a tree branch. I showed her the image I had, but she wasn't convinced it was the ame one and so I asked her to put me in touch with the person who had the alleged photo. Usually, when people come forward with info at my talks, I give them my contact details but never hear from them again, but on this case I was rather surprised to hear from the husband of the woman who stated he was the person that had found a cat - which he believed was a Jungle Cat - in a snare. The animal was dead when he and a friend found it so they photographed it after hanging it from a branch. When I asked the man what happened to the body of the cat he simply stated that they left it and it rotted away. So frustrating. Even so, this chap seemed genuine and then purchased a copy of my book from me. A few days later I received a phone-call from the gentleman who was quite shocked to see 'his' photo in my MYSTERY ANIMALS...KENT book. I told him that in no way was the animal a 'big cat' - for one the legs were too short, as was the tail, and there could be no suggestion of anything larger than a domestic, because the carcass was only being held up with a piece of what seemed like string and the thin branching wasn't even bending. The man told me that the photo was very real and not a cut and paste job, but he was also adamant that the cat was not a domestic, although I beg to differ. Sometimes a mystery that is solved can lead to a bigger mystery, however. The man told me that only three people had seen the photo and he had the original in a photo album, and yet somehow I had managed to get a hold of this photo too. Thankfully, many years later we could both air our views, but the animal certainly wasn't a puma.

A couple of day ago I received an interesting call from an Ashford lady who told me that when the snow had hit Kent a short while ago, she'd found enormous aw-prints in her back garden that had dwarfed those left by her own pet cat. Although she never took any photo's the woman did tell me of an intriguing piece of evidence she had acquired, a whisker belonging to a 'big cat'. Now, when I get people speak to me about their finds I never hold my breath in anticipation of seeinmg the evidence because in so many cases where people have claimed to have filmed a strange cat, or got paw prints casts etc, I tend to never hear anything back. Mind you, in most cases when I do follow up reports of so-called evidence one also has to brace themself for the disappointment. Anyway, this lady seemed very genuine and told me she would send me the object which she was sure was a whisker. Today a letter dropped through the letter-box and lo and behold, here it sits, what appears to be a whisker of a cat such as a leopard. The item is about 5 inches long, and resembles something you'd expect to see protruding from the cheek of a leopard. So, watch this space and if I can I will update you on events...

And finally, there have bene a few recent reports to update you on...only some of these do I post online as the last thing I want is people turning up to some of the locations causing havoc. Even so, there has been a report of a black leopard at Ramsgate - the usual stuff, a chap driving when a large animal flashed across the road, just in time for the man to notice how big and fluent this animal was. There have also been reports from Sevenoaks (black leopard), Ashford (black leopard), Canterbury (puma) and two interesting reports from Sussex of lynx. As I stated in a previous post, if anyone wants to find more about lynx in Britain then I recommend the latest issue of BBC Wildlife magazine. There certainly wouldn't be a problem with having the lynx back in its natural envirnoment...although some wold argue that it never went away.

The latest issue of BBC Wildlife magazine has an interesting article regarding the possibility of lynx reintroduction into the woods of Britain. The most frustrating aspect of the article however was the word on the wildlife 'experts' who were quick to dismiss the possibility that large, exotic cats already roam the wilds of Britain. The usual questions were asked, "Why isn't one caught in a trap ?", "Why aren't they run over ?", it really is a high level of ignorance which was confirmed to me when I received a sighting yesterday from a female witness named Sian who was on a train back from London. Sian is a credible witness who has, in the past had twp encounters with a black leopard near her Rolvenden home and yesterday, before dusk she was fortunate again. Whilst travelling between Paddock Wood and Marden a large, black animal ran across a field about 50 metres away. The animal was not a dog....and it was bigger than an Alsatian. It moved like a cat. Bizarrely, Sian was one of the only people aboard the train to see the animal which pretty much proves just how alert people ARE NOT when it comes to wildlife.

I may sound old fashioned but nowadays commuters seem buried in their iphones, PC's and newspapers, and yet the sight out of the window is far more interesting than the contents of the latest social networking site. Last year only two people on a carriage holding some 30 or so people saw a wild boar in a field so it goes to show the lack of awareness. Being on a train may not seem the most likely place to see a 'big cat' especially as most of the surroundings at times are a blur, but even so, the railway networks cut through the woods of the south-east providing a glimpse inot a habitat rarely seen by the general public. The railway line is perfect for a large cat to navigate by - alongside a railway line there is enough food and cover to hide an elusive predator which is why some sightings take place in back gardens in seemingly unlikely areas such as Strood, Halling, Cuxton etc. Another great place for a large cat to lurk at night is a golf course - not the sort of place people frequent. At the moment investigations are under way in Sevenoaks after some elusive wild boar have been seen damaging a course.

I always advise people when they are a passenger in a car or on a train to scan the hedgerows, treelines etc, because these are the areas where a cat will stalk.

Last saturday I spent many hours, with a friend, sitting out in the vast woods of the North Downs. The area is perfect for a large cat or two to hide. From 11:00 am until the late hours we saw two people all day, a dog walker and someone on a bike, but with the Blue Bell's popping up, the woods provided ample cover for any animal that did not wish to be seen. As the rains came down around dusk, sitting out scanning the hedgerows made for an eerie experience. Nope, we never saw anything, except for a wet fox and a scurrying rabbit...and the intriguing bright eyeshine of an animal that was gone in a second (it wasn't a fox/badger/rabbit - the eye shine was bright and a long way away) but the foreboding woods that stretched as far as the eye could see, just confirmed to me just how naive people are regarding the existence of these animals and the woods we still have. At one point we during mid afternoon we disturbed a resting owl which fluttered off into the trees, we were so close to it and yet never knew it was there until it rushed from the bushes. A large cat could lay up just feet away and not be seen. It reminds me of a recent sighting near Halstow concerning a female witness who was picking berries when she heard a terrible growl which came from the bushes below her. Immediately the woman questioned herself then continued picking until it happened again. When she peered down into the thicket she saw an enormous black cat peering back. This had taken place on a roadside. Cats have a remarkable ability to hide in the most unlikely of places.

Tracking a large cat is difficult but if you can, try to think like the cat, and only then can you give yourself a remote chance of seeing something. If you are fortunate enough to see such an animal I can guarantee  that the experience will stay with you forever.

This morning I received a very interesting phonecall. In my previous post I mentioned how the occasional sceptic is known to have a sighting of a 'big cat'. The chap who phoned me today was one of those, but also the type of person used to spending time in the wilds not only of Kent, but South Africa and other terrain across the world. The man, who lives in Kent, is an experienced mountaineer, a keen rambler, who has spent more than thirty years walking through woods, forests, mountains and valleys, and much of his time has been spent around the wooded pathways of the North Downs. According to the man, on the Thursday of March 8th, at 7:30 pm approximately, he'd been taking a stroll to get fit for an upcoming hike through the Highlands of Scotland. He'd been admiring the full mooon that hung low in the sky like a copper plate, and his journey had taken him close to Walderslade, back to Boxley, Burham and Blue Bell Hill. He'd been walking down a pathway in the woods when suddenly he heard a noise unlike anything he'd heard before. He told me, "It was as if someone was coughing about twenty-five yards away....at first I thought someone was ill in the woods but I couldn't see anyone and there were no sheep about which also make a coughing noise."

The man continued his walk when suddenly, he saw, about 5 yards away, off the pathway, in the wood, an enormous dark shape. The witness wanted to believe it was a labrador dog, but again, the noise was unusual. "I reached for a small light I carry with me and yet when I looked back the animal had gone. I believe I saw a leopard - I'd heard about these stories before and didn't believe them and have spent decades walking around these parts and never seen anything unusual, and yet there it was."

The leopard is known for its deep, sawing cough-like noise as well as a warning hiss and bubbly, guttural growl.

The witness added: "I've been to Africa and seen lions but to see this animal in your own backyard is amazing. I was hesitant to report it at first."

Interestingly, as mentioned on this blog of mine, only a few weeks ago I'd been in the same area with a friend looking for evidence of such an animal. I found leopard scat a few months back near the quarries at Blue Bell Hill, but the Downs are such a vast area, and stretch for miles and miles down into the heart of Kent. I'm hoping to investigate the area of the sighting, but it was actually nice speaking to someone who knows their nature and the sounds one should expect with regards to evening rambles.

Sadly, on the night the man was seeing his first ever black leopard, I was a few miles away at Chatham Hatch conducting a talk so I couldn't follow the sighting up immediately. When I conduct talks there can be any number from 10 to 500 people in attendance. I've given talks in people's front rooms, to huge halls, and I'm amazed at just how many people come forward to tell me of the animals - mainly 'big cats' they've seen, whic proves just how many people do not report their sightings at first. One man mentioned that one night he was out in the fields of Chartham, with a group of friends when they all clearly saw a large lynx which eyed them up rather casually before strolling off into the shadows. Another lady reported how her friends had mocked her for many years after she'd had a daylight sighting of a black leopard in a wooded valley near the village.

The so-called 'beast of Blue Bell Hill' seemingly came to life in 1997 when the Kent Today newspaper created the headline. However, sightings date back many years previous. The image here shows the Kent Today coverage of a smaller cat that was photographed in 1998 by Harry Matthews, even though the image was snapped on the other side of the river at Cooling. Last year I was derided on a local history forum by a warden who claimed that, quite matter of factly, "There is no beast of Blue Bell Hill...." because he'd never seen it. If one stands at the picnic on Blue Bell Hill's Common Road and looks across the beautiful Downs, you'd have to be rather ignorant to think that such a setting could not hide a large cat or two. Aylesford, Wouldham, Burham, Walderslade Woods, Nashenden Valley, etc etc, are places where elusive 'big cats' have been seen, but still, not everyone can be convinced, but just remember, even people used to spending time in the local woods do have occasional sightings of these animals. As the witness said to me at the end of the phone call, "It makes me wonder now just how many times I've not seen the animal but it's actually seen me!"

Think about it...

I'm sure there are a few sceptics, detractors and the like among the people who, over the years have read my articles, seen me talks etc. I do wish more detractors and sceptics would come forward with their criticism's rather than hide behind a pseudonym to vent their frutrations at my words. It's a shame that people can't be more civil and simply come forward and talk of their issues, or at least ask questions, which is why on this blog I'm trying to appease everyone with snippets of info and evidence. Mind you, it's always nice when sceptical folk have an encounter with a 'big cat'. Three cases spring to mind over the last few years. One such report concerned a doctor, who, despite all his qualifications, as one of the most ignorant people I ever met. He once told me that he knew everything about British wildlife and constantly pooh-poohed the idea of exotic cats roaming the UK. "I've nevers een one..." he told me time and time again. Sadly, the guy became so angry over the years at my claims, that he began to get rather personal, which I find very weird. Recently I've had a few people telling me they are going to shoot these big cats if I don't do something about it - one chap stated that he was worried about children being killed - but surely a trigger-happy lunatic attempting to shoot a big cat is far more dangerous, especially if he ends up hunting his quarry and injuring it. Anyway, back to the doctor - this guy would ring me time and time again, telling me there were no 'big cats' in the wild, and that he'd never once seen any sign. Now, when I give talks, or write articles etc, I can only put or offer material within the space I'm allowed - but often I show photo's of sheep kills, scat, and whilst I'm happy for someone to say these animals don't exist - my argument is, "Okay then, so if a big cat didn't leave this sheep up a tree or didn't leave that paw print then what did ?" and that's when the sceptics get rather angry, and it's all rather petty.

So, this doctor, time and time again began persecuting my words and my research until one afternoon when he went for a countryside stroll with his Alsatian dog. It was a warm, clear day in Ashford and the path he'd taken was like any other path - bracken and brambles either side, a frequently used route by him and many other ramblers. The trouble is, on this occasion, at about 2pm his dog saw something that the doctor probably, deep down, never wanted to see - it was a black leopard sitting on the pathway about 80 yards ahead. The doctor so wanted it to be another dog, but his own dog began to growl, and then whimper and stood firm between his legs, refusing to move. The doctor tried to drag the dog along the path, refusing to believe what he was seeing, in his own ignorance he persevered along the wooded path until he got to within about 50 yards and at that point the animal up ahead shidted and was now standing on all fours. The doctor - especially due to his nature expertise which he was all to eager to tell me off, could see that the animal was around 5ft long and the tail seemed to swoop down behind it. The tail was thick. The shoulders were muscular, the head square and flat, there was no muzzle. The Alsatian continued to resist and the animal up ahead seemed to casually look at the frightened pair - then look away - and then back at them before slinking nonchalantly off into the undergrowth.

It took the doctor 4 months to phone me, but even then his voice was full of...what I can only describe as anger. "Someone probably just let a leopard go," he snorted. I tried to be polite, and so I tried to get every detail from him, distance, size of animal, and asked him was he sure it wasn't a feral cat, and it was that comment which seemed to irk him the most, but now he understood the sort of comments I'd received over the years. Even so, deep down I was actually happy for him and hoe that he'd felt privileged as to what he'd seen rather than simply angry with me because he was wrong. On another occasion a man from Meopham stated quite categorically that there were no 'big cats' in Britain, until he saw one, with a whole group of people whilst on a ramble through the woods of Meopham, not far from Gravesend. Again, it was a daylight sighting, and the group had observed the animal up ahead sitting on the pathway. At first the witness thought it was an Alsatian - or hoped it was - until it moved off slowly into the bushes, but at least this witness wasn't full of such contempt, he was oberjoyed he'd seen the animal. Another case actually involved a relative of mine, a completely ignorant man who for around fifteen years had resffused to take my research seriously. He always commented, "I go out shooting all over Kent and I've never seen a cat, surely if anyone was going to see one then it would be me." I laughed and replied, "If you're out blasting the hell out of rabbits I don't think there'd be a reason for a cat to be around, and let's fact it, you can't be 'all over Kent' at the same time can you ?"

My relative had been shooting not far from Sittingbourne on private land. He was watching a JCB in the distance when a massive black animal ran across the field. He immediately phoned me, his voice shaking as he reported the animal - he was so startled that anyone would have thought he'd seen a dinosaur. When I told him, jokingly, that I didn't believe him he slammed the phone down. Oddly, the man now thinks he's the only person in England to have seen a 'big cat'!!

Sceptics and the like are funny ol' folk. I've often been of the opinion that it's ideal to be open minded, nothing more nothing less. When, as a kid I began looking into sightings of 'big cats' I never believed them and I didn't scof at them either, I simply decided I'd look at the evidence. Over the years I have and have formed my own opinion based on this which I thought was the best thing to do, maybe I'm wrong. I certainly don't think it's a good idea to go out all guns blazing thinking these cats exist in their thousands etc, too much belief can be just as bad as too much disbelief, but if someone is genuinely trying to put the evidence out there then all I can say to the sceptics and detractors is, look at it with open eyes, or at least get in touch with any isues you have, rather than hide behind pseudonyms making petty comments. It's not a playground, it's a subject that interests many people and many people have sen these animals. For many years I've written about ghost stories etc, but I keep the 'big cat' research separate. I've never seen a ghost, but I'm open minded because so many people claim to have seen one but evidence is lacking, but with regards to exotic cats in the wild, there is evidence.

Yesterday I was contacted by a lady named Trina who found a fox carcass that had been completely rasped clean (see image). She sent me several images. I've had these looked at by 4 different people who all are of the opinion that a large cat had killed it. Clearly, the fox hadn't died of natural causes, and whilst birds may have finished the carcass off, the rasped ribs etc, are the hallmarks we see time and time again with cat kills. I'm more than happy for someone to step forward and challenge this opinion, but to dismiss is entirely through ignorance is the worst thing you can do. Being open minded and having healthy debate is great, but to believe or disbelieve at an extreme is ignorance.

When I conduct lectures and write books about my research into 'big cats', people often come up to me and ask me why I became a 'monster hunter'. Mind you, some people also ask me, "How the hell is being a 'monster hunter' a full-time job ?", haha! As I've mentioned previously, I began collecting data on 'big cat' sightings across the south-east when I was about 9, and through one or two full-time jobs I continued to write and to investigate as well as research sightings of a more folkloric nature. 'Big cats' in the woods of Kent, etc, are very much real animals, but I was always interested in monsters as a kid - as most kids should be - unless today of course they get sucked into the atrocities of programmes such as The X-Factor! Anyway, a few years ago I walked out of my appalling day job and realised there must be more to life than the 9-5 and the stresses and strains, and it was whilst working one day that I heard myself on the radio that I thought to myself, "I can't carry on doing this...." So, as Christmas came I collected my thoughts, and went back to my job...for a couple of hours....then walked out, and never looked back. I'm of the opinion that if you can find a niche in life, or at least have a shade of originality then you might get somewhere doing the things you love. Mind you, the biggest inspiration of all, came via my dad and grandad who, as a kid, often told me ghost stories. Everybody - whether you believe in them or not - loves the idea of a mystery - unless one is blinkered by what newspapers and tv programmes tell you. Even so, I come from a big family where there is lots of tradition and old fashioned values. As a kid three things changed the course of my life. One was a movie called The Legend of Boggy Creek, a '70s US flick made in a docu-drama style way which, so many years ago, was way ahead of its time and paved the way for modern films such as The Blair Witch Project. The Legend Of Boggy Creek was a creepy, low-budget movie about a Bigfoot-type monster roaming the river bottoms of Arkansas. Around the same time I was given a book by a relative of mine, and the book was called A Dictionary of Monsters & Mysterious Beasts, and was written by a Carey Miller. The book was an a-z of bizarre creatures, mostly mythical, but some allegedly true, such as the yeti and the Loch Ness monster, and I devoured it greedily as my mind worked overtime. However, the main turning point for me came when one dark night my dad took me to a place between Rochester and Maidstone called Blue Bell Hill. Now, I'm sure most of you readers have heard about the Blue Bell Hill ghost story, in fact if you type it in on Google or look at a majority of British or Kent-based ghost books you'll get so much information. Sadly, much of this information is incorrect, but the story - when I was a kid - freaked me out but also intrigued me. The village of Blue Bell Hill and its surrounding woods is ancient. The village is divided, by a dual carriageway, into two parts, the Lower Bell (where there is a pub) and the Upper Bell, near the crematorium.

According to my dad, and so many people there is a ghost story attached to this old hill which concerns a phantom hitchhiker. The legend is that many years ago a girl - who was due to be married - was killed on the hill in a terrible car accident - which also claimed the lives of two other women, her friends - whilst one girl survived. This is in fact a true event which took place in the November of 1965. It would seem that since this accident people have encountered a girl on the hill, and they say that she wears the bridal dress (or according to some people the ghost is one of the bridesmaids) she never got to wear on her wedding day. The main ghost story which people have passed down over the years is that a girl in a whitish dress thumbs a lift on the hill but vanishes from the backseat. According to the legend when people go to the house where she asked to be dropped off, they find out that the elderly couple who own the house "get this sort of thing all the time" but then go on to mention that the girl is their daughter....who died many years ago. A great spine-tingling ghost story and a tale that stuck with me for many years, until I found out that most of the details are completely incorrect. It seems that in most cases, what actually happens on the hill is that people knock a girl down in their vehicle but when they look under their car there is no sign of a girl (two separate incidents which took place in 1992 involved an Ian Sharpe and Chris Dawkins who knocked down a girl on different parts of the hill). The woman they describe does not wear a bridal gown of any kind. Now, many people love this story but it's not until you delve into some mysteries that you find that the facts are in fact far stranger than the fiction many reporters, authors and ghost story tellers would have you believe. It's highly unlikely that the girl on the hill is the spirit of the woman (or women) that were killed in 1965, especially as there are accounts of a girl from the hill dating back several decades before the crash. I believe the Blue Bell Hill ghost story - which changed my life - is a product of urban legend in most cases and that over the years the local newspapers have unintentionally embeeded the idea of athe girl in a bridal dress into the psyche of the Kentish community. It became a Chinese whisper.

When I heard this story as a child I became obsessed with Blue Bell Hill and now I know the place like the back of my hand and spend many days and nights there investigating reports of a creature that, rather hilariously became known as the 'beast of Blue Bell Hill'. during the late '90s. Blue Bell Hill is a rather strange area, steeped in history it harbours the fascinating and ancient Kits Coty House and Little Kits Coty House - mysterious sets of stones. There are many legends pertaining to these stones. The village also harbours several other ghost stories, one concerning a very young girl who was knocked down in 1974, another from 1993 in which an entire family whilst travelling up the Old Chatham Road encountered an old hag-type horror - a figure that has been seen a handful of times on the hill. There are also tales of phantom hounds, a giant hair-covered creature (not just the local flasher on the loose!), a flying jellyfish and crop circles. Sure, most of these tales are far-fetched but they add to the mystery of the hill. The old, overgrown quarries - the dark, spooky lanes, all add to the atmosphere. Add to this a legend or two of a large elusive 'big cat' - and yes, there are one or two in the area, then we have an ideal area for what ghost-hunters would term paranormal activity.

Blue Bell Hill is a lovely area, but the ghost story - like so many ghost stories, has become a classic yet stale legend. A good friend of mine named Sean Tudor has researched the ghost sightings on the hill for many years and uncovered some amazing facts and folklore which stretch way beyond the handful of hitchhiker tales that many of you have been fed over the years. His website www.roadghosts.com looks at some of these tales, but at the moment he is writing an enormous, in-depth book about the spooky hill. It's also worth noting that in my recent book Haunted Maidstone I devote a segment to the Blue Bell Hill area and its levels of high strangeness, but if anyone is brave enough, then please do book a place on my Blue Bell Hill ghost walk, www.bluebellhillghostwalk.blogspot.com  I decided to run these walks on the 2nd sunday of each month but am getting a lot of groups wanting private night tours which are far spookier. The walk lasts two hours, and we go into the woods, around the old stones, and I speak about the ghost sightings as well as look into the reports of 'big cats', and other strange phenomena. If you gave any queries then you can email/call the details on the ghost walk website.

So many places across the world, and especially in the UK have a peculiar aura about them, and Blue Bell Hill is one of those places. If my dad hadn't told me the ghost story when I was a kid, then I probably wouldn't have ended up the person I am today (some would say slightly unhinged ha!), but it's important that kids are given mystery and imagination in their lives, rather than being the product of ignorance. Kids may think wildlife or history, let alone ghost stories, are dull because their idea of entertainment is being put in front of a PC or tv screeen for hours and forced into a trance-like state by a computer game. Nature offers us some real magic, on our doorstep are so many marvels, and who knows, when I'm long gone, I hope deep down that a child may continue to carry the torch and write about and investigate the stories I did when I was their age. And who knows, maybe a trip to Blue Bell Hill could change your life, or at least open your eyes to the mysteries and marvels of nature that lurk just around the corner...

If you've seen a ghost on Blue Bell Hill, or heard of any unusual stories about the area, get in touch at: neil.arnold@live.com