Okay, so the rumours circulated that there was a lion on the loose near Clacton in Essex. How many more stories like this are going to be followed up by droves of police officers and reported on my drama hungry papers ? It's a sorry state of affairs, and it's hysteria that makes a mockery of my research because when investigators, as usual, find no evidence of the lion king, everyone starts laughing and saying that there are no large cats roaming Britain. So let's  look at the details.

Someone claimed they'd seen a lion in a field a few days ago. The story spread like wildfire, newspapers got involved, my phone started to ring, the police turned up at the location, photographs of the 'beast' began being passed around and so was born the 'Lion of Essex' legend...another unfounded scare akin to the Shooter's Hill cheetah, The Edgware Tiger, the Winchmore Hill lioness, the Sydenham leopard blah blah blah. Yep, the police had every right to investigate it as it was a matter of public safety but surely such a fuss wasn't necessary. A couple of animal trackers would have sufficed because if anyone knows anything about cats, lions do not behave in an incredibly elusive manner, lions would seek large prey and also seek a pride, and lions DO NOT inhabit the wilds of Britain, neither do tigers, jaguars or cheetahs.

There are three suggestions for the Essex lion story - 1) maybe, just maybe there had been a lion that had escaped from a zoo/private collection - or if you read some of the papers, a circus which had stopped by a few weeks previous. 2) there was no lion at all, just a bunch of witnesses who didn't have a clue what they were seeing or maybe had nothing better to do than make it up, 3) judging by a couple of reports in which witnesses described seeing a tan-coloured cat with a white chest, a puma may have been involved. Whatever the truth, if there was a lion roaming Essex - it would no doubt be used to being hand-reared, lacking excerise and keen to feast on those mutant's with their swept over fringes, white teeth and small percentage of brain cells. If a lion had been roaming Essex then the police would not have called off the search. If a lion had bene roaming Essex it would have been heard roaring on numerous occasions, would have been on the prowl for livestock, and would have left behind a few very large prints. Lions are not elusive hunters that climb trees. Lions are bloody big animals.

A few people fell for the photoshopped images floating around the internet. Newspaper reporters and tv crews flocked to the scene, once again falling for it hook, line and sinker and when no animal turned up, the sceptics mocked, scoffing at those foolish enough there would be big cats in the wild. Of course, despite this farcical affair, it doesn't explain the fact as to why for the last two-hundred or so years, peope have reported seeing large black cats, and slightly smaller puma-like cats around Ongar Marshes, Epping Forest, Brentwood etc. It also doesn't explain that in the last week I've received 11 reports of black leopard from various parts of Kent and Sussex and none of these were investigated by police helicopters.

What people need to realise is that there are smaller exotic cats roaming the UK, but stories pertaining to lions, tigers and cheetahs must be taken with a pinch of salt, and if by chance a lion does turn up in the local woods, then it has simply escaped from somewhere and will be recaptured usually with the use of a tranquilliser, or sadly shot dead. Over the years lions, tigers and the like have escaped from private menageries, zoo parks and the occasional circus, but they don't escsper and then live forever more in our wilds - can you imagine a tiger escaping from a zoo and then exisiting in your local wood for years without detection ? It doesn't happen. Mind you, if a black leopard cub, or puma kitten was released it could survive easily in the wilds of the UK, there's plenty of food and cover, but these animals exist by using stealth.

Give it a few months and another big cat scare story will hit the newspapers, televsion reporters will turn up to the scene in their droves waiting for the cat to emerge from the shadows and give an interview, and the 'big cat' hunters/researchers will arrive in camo' gear, salivating at the thought of being involved in another 'mystery.' It happens all the time. One of the only occasions the story turned out to be nothing more than fiction was in 2001 when a lynx was found in Cricklewood in London. It was underweight and had an injured back leg, suggesting it had been kept illegally as a pet - but the newspapers and the like had a field day and I really felt sorry for the animal as it was hunted through the back gardens of leafy London, but thankfully the animal was only tranquillised and was sent off to a zoo. In 2005 when a man claimed he was attacked by a leopard in his garden at Sydenham, police tured up with taser guns...it left me asking who was the biggest threat, a cat which had probably not been in the area whatsoever, or the police and the press, eager to create another witch-hunt. 

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

I find it strange that the sceptical folk scoff at the possibility that an elusive, mainly nocturnal animals roams Kent. Despite the fact that such an animal would have a wide ranging territory - in other words, an animal seen in Maidstone could easily prowl down towards Ashford etc. The other strange thing about the sceptical opinion is that whilst it dismisses such sightings, it refuses to comment on the other alien species of animals now inhabiting our woodlands. In my book MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: KENT I look at various reports of animals which over the years have been released or escaped into the wilds of Kent nad made a home for themselves. Of course, people kept exotic pets but in most cases, creatures such as snakes would perish due to the climate, but with global warming a major issues it's no surprise that waterways such as the River Thames are now harbouring seahorses and blood-sucking lamprey as established species and not just one off specimens. The woodlands of kent are no different. We seem to forget that the grey squirrel is not a native species, and was introduced and wiped out the red squirrel. We also have wild boar back, as well as a number of wallabies. People scoff at reports of wallabies, so I attach a couple of images as proof. A Mr Nick perry photographed a wallaby (see image) not far from Lenham, near maidstone. We seem to forget that when we had the Great Storm of 1987 many cages and pens were uprooted and a variety of unusual animals escaped into the wilds of kent. There are several wallaby colonies as far as Kent and Sussex and these are extremely elusive and nimble animals that are not easy to recapture. The fact that they do little harm - escept to the occasional rose bush - means they have been left alone, and yet when people see such animals they are still dismissed as being mad or completely drunk. The main problem of course is that some newspapers when covering stories of wallabies on the loose get their species mixed up and speak of kangaroos! A few years ago an alleged 'kangaroo' was seen at Beckenham in Kent. It was simply a wallaby. A kangaroo on the loose would be a far more formidable animal. Dogs beware! I've posted another image of a wild boatr, this comes courtesy of a Malcom Greer. This is an enormous specimen shot dead not far from Ashford a couple of years ago - you can tell its size as there is a small dog sitting atop it.

 Wild boar are numerous - in their hundreds, if not thousands on the Kent and Sussex border yet they are reasonably elusive and formidable animals which can be dangerous if cornered, especially if they are protecting young. I don't see boar as being a problem, we had them, alongside wolf, lynx and beaver thousands of years ago but they were wiped out by the cruel hand of man as we seem unable to share our woodlands with other large animals. It is a sorry state of affairs. Wild boar certainly do damage crops and this appears to be the problem at the moment, but it's something we need to deal with. The other main issue is that the younger specimens are being culled when it should be the older, more aggressive animals. Smaller boar make ideal prey for large cats too! Boar have been sighted, and filmed in areas such as Woodchurch, Mersham, Bickley.

It's also worth noting the amount of parakeets we have in our skies at the moment. Only recently I observed hordes of the screeching, bright green specimens whilst going to conduct a lecture near Bromley. Many were believed to escaped from a film set in the 1960s and now numbers are so great that they are due to be culled. More recently there have been reports of a large creature lurking in the depths of London's Olympic Park and has been blamed for attacking the bird life.

Some have theorised that the animal is a large pike but I think it more likely we have a Wels catfish. One such specimen was caught in the River Darent a few years back and thrown back. These are formidable predators which can grow up to 8 ft in length and can certainly establish themselves alongside the snapping turtle and of course, the terrapin which was introduced when idiotic parents gave in to their childrens wishes and purchased them during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles craze, not realising of course, that kids tend to kid bored very easily nowadays and so, such specimens were released. Such creatures have been seen basking in the sun at locations such as Maidstone's Mote Park. On a more bizarre note, you'd be amazed at the amount of weird and wonderful creatures that have bene kept as pets over the years in Kent. A few decades ago lions were kept on the Isle of Sheppey, and also in Maidstone and on the Wrotham Road. Rather cruel if you ask me. A puma was certainly kept in a cage on Sheppey in the '80s. In 1905 a jackal was shot dead in Sevenoaks. See the image taken from an old postcard at the time which shows the stuffed animal - note that the markings have faded. In the '70s a weird striped animal was seen on a farm near the Ashdown Forest in Sussex. It turned out to be a hyena! Last year a black widow spider was found at Chatham's historuc dockyard - I also saw one of these individuals lurking behind a pile of bricks. Scorpions have been unearthed in fruit crates, muntjac deer can be heard barking in some woodlands, and then there are the bears stories...."Bears ?!" I heard you ask, oh yes...in the '80s at Hawkhurst two young brothers got the shock of their lives when they encountered a large furry animal but a police search revelaed nothing. Maybe the children had simply got it wrong and they'd seen a badger, but even so, people have kept bears in the past. One such animal was kept in the 1940s by a Sheerness man. The beast - a honey bear - attacked its owner whilst he was asleep at his home in Medway Road. The animal was sent off to London Zoo. In 1964 two gorillas escaped into the wilds of Kent. They broke free from John Aspinall's private zoo at Bekesbourne. The gorillas, named Kula (a male weighing 16 stone) and his mate Shamba were pursued by nine policemen and the fire brigade. Kula ran back to his cage after being sprayed by a water jet but Shamba was far more resistant and fled to a cottage. The gorilla was teventually empted back to the zoo. Whales, dolphins and porpoises have been observed in Kent rivers, particularly the River Medway. In 1998 it was alleged that two teenage boys had found the carcass of a serpent on the sands at Greatstone. The creature - which measured eight-feet in length - turned out to be the remains of a basking shark. In 2008 a strange creature had been terrorising wildlife at a pond in Strode Park, Herne. Originally the local staff thought the creature had bene a terrapin but when they drained the pond they came across a snapping turtle! The creature was given a home at an animal sanctuary in Essex. In 1949 a narwhal was found beached at the River Medway in the vicinity of Wouldham. A teenage boy named Geoffrey Stevens investigated the creature - known for its long, sword-like singukar tooth - the beast was the first to be recorded in 400 years in the area! The skeleton of the creature was taken to London and the rest of the remains were buried in the grounds of Aylesford papermill.

Jackal killed in Sevenoaks in 1905.

Good afternoon and welcome to the second instalment of my new blog pertaining to my research into sightings and evidence of so-called 'big cats' in the south-east. As I mentioned in my first report, there are numerous issues, subjects, questions etc to get through and will, step by step, take you, dear reader into this intriguing situation which has been taking place for many years across the UK. The possibility that large, exotic cats roam south-eastern England has been a bugbear for many sceptics over the years. Those who remain unconvinced of the shaky film footage and blurry paw-print casts have every right to question something for which there appears no evidence for, but hopefully this blog will explain many of the mysteries and fill in the holes that seem to pepper this subject. Today, I'll be introducing you to the species of cat which are believed to roam not just Kent, but most of Britain. Hopefully, this introduction will make many people aware of not just what roams the countryside, but which animals do not. Over the years there have been reports of lions, tigers, cheetahs, and jaguars in the wilds of Kent, but NONE of these inhabit the local woods, in fact it would be absurd to suggest so, and I doubt very much whether such animals would roam any part of the UK. Nearly every sighting of a so-called lion, lioness et al, has been unfounded, and those that turn out to be genuine simply take place after an animal has escaped a zoo - resulting in it being recaptured or sadly, shot dead. In 2011 an alleged 'white toger' sighting took place elsewhere in the country, but the animal turned out to be cuddly toy, and yet police still investigated the sighting!! In the 1960s the Surrey puma flap of sightings originally involved witnesses coming forward to describe lioness sightings - when in fact a majority of witnesses were seeing a puma, also known as mountain lion and cougar, but what we must remember is that despite the thousands of 'big cat' sightings that take place, not every witness is genuine and not all know their species of cat. In London in 1994 a creature known as the 'Winchmore Hill lioness' hit the headlines, this was a decade after the 'Edgware tiger' scare. It's amazing what type of stories make the national headlines!

What we must remember is that whilst lions were purchased quite regularly in the 1960s as novel pets - this very large cat, native to  Africa, would stick out like a sore thumb in the UK wilds. Such an animal would be heard roaring, would seek very large prey and the lion is also a social animal that seeks a pride. Tigers 9which inhabit most of southern Asia) were not regularly kept as pets in the '60s, although in parts of the United States today it is believed that more people own Bengal tigers than there are Bengal tigers in the wild!! Again, a tiger is a very large cat, it's coat is very distinctive and there would be an alarming pile up of prey. The cheetah - this extremely agile and speedy cat which inhabits an area south of the Sahara in Africa, North Africa and the Middle East - was occasionally kept as a pet in the '60s. In India the father of the Moghul Emperor Jahangir was said to have kept more than one-thousand cheetahs! There is no evidence, despite legends, to suggest that the cheetah inhabits the south-east of England. Again, during the 1960s, when the Surrey puma legend began, there was rumour of a creature dubbed the 'Shooters Hill cheetah' even though no-one described seeing such a beast!! It's truly amazing how headlines come about! Another animal highly unlikely to inhabit Kent, Sussex, London outskirts and Surrey, is the jaguar. Those not in the know may confuse such a felid with the leopard in the sense that its coat is straw/yellow coloured and patched with dark rosettes. The jaguar, however, which is a stockier animal than the leopard, inhabits parts of the South and Central America. Both the leopard and the jaguar are prone to melanism - meaning both species can have a dark pigment to the coat - from a distance the animal appears black but up close the rosettes can be seen bleeding through the extremely dark coat. When the jaguar and leopard have dark pelage, people call them 'panthers', but the term 'panther' is simply folkloric and not a species of cat. In other words, a 'panther' is the melanistic (darker coated) form of the leopard or jaguar. The term 'panther' stems from the species classification, for the jaguar it being Panthera once, and for the leopard, Panthera pardus. The rosettes of the jaguar and leopard differ from one another. Within the rosette of a jaguar can be seen a dotted pattern. The jaguar also has shorter legs. Those who have seen the Disney movie The Jungle Book can now be made aware that the large black cat - Bagheera - is not a 'panther', but in fact a melanistic form of the Indian leopard.

Considering the thousands of reports of so-called 'big cats' I've received over the years, I have never received a report of a jaguar.

One detail of the British 'big cat' situation which often confuses people is the frequent use of the term 'big cat' which often suggests to many that the animals roaming the UK must surely be lion, tiger, jaguar, cheetah, but this is not the case. If a majority of these animals were on the loose in Kent, there would be cause for alarm. The only so-called 'big cat' to roam the UK is the leopard. The cat species which have the ability to roar are considered 'big cats, and produce cubs, the smaller cats purr - the puma emits an intense scream - and these cats produce kittens. The remaining cats which are alleged to inhabit the UK are the puma, lynx and jungle cat. Let's look at these cats:

Leopard - If you've ever had the fortune to see a leopard on the television, or in the flesh at a zoo or on safari in Africa, you will immediately recognise this 'big cat', which also inhabits parts of Asia, is recognisable by its yellowy-type coat, and its magnificent rosette pattern. The leopard can grow to around 7-ft in length and stand over 2-ft at the shoulder. An individual can weigh from anywhere between 80 and 180 lb. A genetic mutation results in the 'panther' - the melanistic leopard. Strangely, in the south-east of England I have never received a report of a 'normal' leopard, every sighting has describe the darker form. Although two spotted parents can produce a mixed litter, black parents only produce black offspring, due to the recessive gene.

The leopard is an adept climber - the next time you are walking through your local woods, always be sure to look up into the trees - a leopard can easily climba  tree, not only to sleep, but will stash its prey in the lower branches. Its ability to climb trees means the leopard is the perfect hunter and the acting of chaching in trees means that scavengers such as jackals, hyenas, and in the UK, foxes, cannot steal a kill.

The leopard can have a vast territory, stretching several hundred square miles - looking for a leopard in England is something akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. The leopard mainly hunts at night, and hunts with supreme stealth. The animal emits a variety of noises from a double-barrelled growl, to a deep,swa cough and a warning hiss. Despite their elusive nature, in parts of their native country the leopard is happy to hunt within a few miles of a big city, making it suited to human encroachment. The solitary male could have a territory that encompasses a couple of females. When a male and female copulate, between 1-4 (usually 2)cubs are born. The male often leaves the litter and the cubs stay with the mother for around 18 months before making their own way in life. Inbreeding will stunt the population.

In the 1960s it was relatively common for people to keep leopards - and often the sleek, black variety, as pets. Documented evidence proves this. Even today the darker form of the leopard is considered an iconic animal representing the cool, sexy, suave and sophisticated, and often these animals can still be seen in music video's and advertisements.

Each year I receive between 150 and 250 eye-witness reports of exotic cats across the south-east. More than half of this number are attributed to large black cats. Witnesses, when seeing such animals - even from a distance - notice how long the tail is. The tail of a leopard is unlike a domestic cat - it can measure almost three-quarters the length of the body and curves down behind it in an 'S' shape.

Puma (aka Mountain lion, cougar): If you look on the internet, or in books or newspaper archives in reference to British 'big cats' sightings, you'll be stunned at the naivety when it comes to identifying species of exotic cats. During the 1960s, a time when it was popular to keep a large cat as a pet - newspapers and witnesses alike were describing so many differing species of cats with varying coat colours that confusion was rife. The press would often talk about sightings of a black (melanistic) puma. The puma is never black. Melanism is extremely rare in this cat, but even the darkest form of such a cat, would still a lighter underside. The puma (Felis concolor) is native to certain areas of the United States and Canada. Despite measuring up to 7-ft in length, it is not a 'big cat', for it cannot roar. The puma is the largest of the Lesser Cats, and emits a piercing, eerie cry which can travel for miles - ideal for communication between individuals. The puma, like the leopard, also a long curving tail, its head is relatively small compared to the rest of the body and the coat is uniformly buff coloured. The tail has a black tip. The puma, like the leopard, prefers to hunt prey rather than scavenge. The young of the puma have spots, which fade with maturity. In its country of origin the puma is considered such an elusive animal that it has been bestowed folkloric names such as 'ghost cat' and 'shadow cat'. In some states it has been declared extinct, as human encroachment has forced it back into the deep woods, and yet despite being declared extinct the animal keeps on showing up - and much to the annoyance of the wildlife departments who state categorically that sightings must be misidentifications or escapees.

During the 1960s the puma - which is considered a New World cat - was housed in many private collections across England. In the 1970s a London man walked into his pub with his pet puma on a lead. Another man had his puma destroyed when it attacked his young son. These are not unique cases - the puma was the ideal cat to keep, especially if it was a young - seemingly cute and cuddly individual.

The puma is often reported throughout the south-east of England, but a puma at a distance in daylight is far less conspicious than a black leopard. Its coat can range from the uniform buff to silvery grey and a reddish tan. From a distance someone who sights such a cat may think they are seeing a deer or fox. The puma is the second largest cat to be sighted in the UK.

In its native habitat the puma has been known to attack humans. People cycling through the trees, children running and playing, and also joggers have become prey. Some claim that most attacks take place due to the cat having rabies or being starved due to lack of prey in its area. In Africa and India the leopard tends to only attack humans who live in remote villages which infringe on forest.

Lynx The Eurasian lynx (Felis lynx) is a very interesting animal in that a few thousand years ago it was native to Britain. Some researchers argue that the lynx never fully died out and due to its elusive nature and wide distribution it may well have hung on in the more dense forest areas of the UK. The lynx is mainly identifiable by the fact it has a short stubby tail, large tufted ears and a mottled coat which can range from yellowish, brown, greyish, reddish and silvery. Nowadays the Eurasian lynx inhabits North Europe and Asia, whereas the Iberian lynx dwells in S.W. Europe - the Iberian lynx is smaller than the Euasian lynx. The similar-looking Bobcat inhabits the southern region of the Canadian provinces and the United States and into Mexico. Another similar-looking felid is the caracal, which inhabits Africa. The caracal is smaller than the lynx, has a reddish-rusty coat, and has distinctive tufted ears .

Lynx were most certainly kept as pets, not only in the 1960s, but also during the Victorian era when travelling menageries and private collections were all the rage - which will be discussed in another post. Bizarrely, in 2001 a lynx was found cowering in a back garden in North London. A female witness reported it to the police who with the help of London Zoo darted the animal. No-one to this day knows where the animal came from - no-one came forward to say they'd lost a lynx - which they had probably been keeping illegally.

So, the leopard, puma and lynx are the main three species of cat said to roam the south-east of England, pretty much the rest of the UK. It may be a wild statement for me to make, but again, before you dismiss such reports, please bear with this blog so as to present the evidence for these animals existing in our woods.

There has also, in the past, been occasional reports of other smaller cats, such as jaguarundi, golden cat, jungle cat, ocelot, lserval and leopard cat. These animals certainly wouldn't be a major problem for people to keep as pets, although there aren't many records of anyone keeping the golden cat. The golden cat inhabits Africa and Asia, and is prone to melanism. The African golden cat is twice the size of a domestic cat has a coat which ranges from grey to red-brown and sometimes has spots. The Asian variety - known as Temmick's cat has some similarities to the Africa golden cat in that the coat varies, and melanism occurs. One cat which most certainly has been sighted in the UK is the Jungle Cat, also known as the Swamp cat and Reed Cat, which inhabits parts of Africa and Asia. The Jungle Cat, among a few other smaller species of cat, were used aboard boats for 'ratting'. The Jungle cat grows to just over 2-ft in length, has relatively long legs, at times a banded tail, and a light brown coat. The UK would be perfect for such a cat in that it hunts rodents, birds and reptiles. Specimens have been killed in Shropshire and Essex. A leopard cat was shot dead on the Isle of Wight a few decades ago and the serval and ocelot have been known to escape zoo parks. The jaguarundi probably does not inhabit the woods of Britain. This cat, native to south America looks more like a mustelid - a class of mammal which contains the stoat, European polecat, mink, Eurasian badger, wolverine, pine marten etc. Other cats which do not inhabit the UK are the clouded leopard and snow leopard (in the '80s a clouded leopard was shot in Kent but it had been a zoo escapee) and the rarer cats such as sand cat, marbled cat, pallas cat, andean cat, flat-headed cat etc. Interestingly, in the March of 2011 a rare Amur leopard cat was found in a back garden near London and handed in to Heathrow Pet Centre! Such incidents do not suggest we have established numbers but instead an escaped pet.

Despite the many reports across the UK of the above mentioned species, the UK is NOT running alive with thousands of exotic cats, but there must be small pockets of viable populations. There is no evidence of bizarre mutations such as leopard x puma, etc, although in zoo parks cross-breeding occurs, these animals are generally regarded as freaks, i.e. leopards, ligers etc, and do not occur in the wild. One vital detail that must be looked at in regards to monitoring sightings of exotic cats in the UK is consistency. A majority of witneses describe a large, Alsatian-sized seemingly jet-black cat - the black leopard, as well as a slightly smaller buff-coloured, long tailed cat - the puma, and a smaller still, tufted eared bobbed tail cat - the lynx. Reports, as stated earlier, of white tigers, lions, cheetahs, etc are unfounded and can only be taken seriously if they are consistently reported. So, before the sceptics go claiming that I said there are monstrous, mutant big cats on the loose - think again. Eye witness reports are deemed credible when they involve police officers, government officials and the like, but are often scoffed at when sightings are merely reported by general members of the public, but not everyone has just come out of the pub, is seeking attention, hoaxing or lying.

And finally, for this blog, I'd like to add that it's very important to remember that cats such as leopard, puma etc, in the wild, live for between 10 and 14 years, and longer in captivity. It is clear - and judging by reports - that female and male leopards are meeting up and breeding, and producing enough young to support a healthy population. It is unlikely however that a male leopard in Kent is meeting up with a female in Scotland - research suggests the territory for a male leopard in England ranges from 30 to 100 square miles. A leopard does not have a fixed den, and will zig-zag across a territory, staying in an area where there is food before only gradually moving on. The leopard scent marks its range. Of a night the leopard hunts with stealth, sightings usually occur when someone is driving late at night or during the early hours of the morning, or sightings involve people wlking their dogs or fishing. And sightings often last under three seconds. A leopard will happily, during the day, bask in the sun, snooze under a tree, lay up in an old churchyard, but we need to remember, these are the most elusive animals on earth. And they can smell, see and hear humans from quite a distance. A black leopard in the darkness may only be visible by its eye reflection, whereas a puma can melt into the shadows of daylight like a ghost. They stick to rocky outcrops, hedgerows, tree-lines, dense forest, quarries etc. Of a night an ideal place for a leopard to prowl is a golf course - prey is abundant and there would be no people. A railway line is perfect for navigation - of a night a railway line provides excellent cover enabling a large cat to slink into back gardens, and alongside a railway line there is plenty of prey. And, before anyone starts claiming that there is no prey in the UK for a leopard and that there should be piles of slaughtered animals (as one 'expert' zoo keeper stated)...hopefully the next blog will prove otherwise.