Apologies for the lack of updates in the last week or so. Writing committments and ventures into Kent woodlands have prevented recent entries. One trip, with a friend, took us to Burham Downs, and right across the Downs towards Blue Bell Hill. I recall a year or so ago a local gamekeeper moaning about my research. He came out with the classic line, "There is no big cat on Blue Bell Hill...I've spent many years around the hill and never seen a thing...". It's this type of naive attitude that frustrates me. On Sunday 19th February me and my good friend walked miles through the woods around Burham, Wouldham etc. We saw one solitary fox, which was eyeing us up from its bramble thick domain, and two rabbits which scurried off into a quarry. The area seemed bereft of life and yet there were areas strewn with fox faeces and rabbit droppings, but of course there was no sign of a large cat - finding a piece of scat would be like looking for a needle in a haystack for some people, and it's amazing how many pieces actually get trodden on by people on bridle paths. Even so, an area of woodland that stretches from Burham, to Blue Bell Hill, to Boxley, is vast for a human to walk - down in the lower quarries we didn't even bump into a human, rather strange considering Sunday was a lovely day for a countryside ramble. I did think of that sceptical gamekeeper though as we pushed our way through bracken and bramble and then sat quietly in those dense areas. It made me realise how useless the human is when it comes to acting like an animal - our sense of hearing, sight and smell, especially in the darkness, is no match for a large cat. One can see why most sightings are so brief, mainly concerning people who are driving or walking the dog.
Not sure if anyone saw it but about 2 weeks ago Meridian News covered a bizarre story from Seaford in Sussex where a couple claimed that a leopard had walked into their front room. I find it so hard to take such reports seriously - it reminded me of a chap a few years ago from Nunhead, London who claimed that one night he felt rather ill and so opened the door for a bit of fresh air only to see a massive black cat stroll into his front room. Now, if this sort of thing happened, surely this would be main news, or at least followed up ? Were there hair samples on the carpet ? And, in the case of the couple, why on earth was their front door open at night - or did Mr Leopard have a key ? These are the sort of reports that make a mockery of any type of serious research but sadly, these are the type of reports that make the newspapers etc. I guess the sceptics etc are fed up of the usual, "I was driving and it crossed the road..." stories, but the fact is, these are the most consistent.
A contact of mine in the Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells area recently sent me another photo of a deer kill - and also the image of some scat. Once again it appears that someone has trodden on the scat - which, by the way, is full of deer fur. I recently conducted several talks, one in Farningham Road where I was approached by a young lady who told me that she'd seen a huge, muscular black cat whilst driving through Sevenoaks. Sadly, her partner did not believe a word of it and I wonder just how many people don't report their sightings due to a fear of ridicule. Some witnesses even question their own sanity. Eye-witness reports can be vague but as I've stated previously, some witnesses get clear views of these animals and know what they are seeing. I was also recently contacted by a guy who works for a safari company via Surrey and he was amazed when he recently saw a black leopard in the county. Conducting talks to specific groups and also the general public is a huge buzz for me because it enables me to make the audience aware of what signs to look for and to explain the theories as to why such animals exist in our woods. By giving talks it also enables witnesses to come forward to report their encounters, and they come forward in their droves...
A majority of people do not know where to report their sightings of any unusual animals. If sightings are reported to the police most of these remain in the files, but those I've examined can be very vague, i.e. Feb 1st, Maidstone, black cat sighted. Other sightings are made towards local papers, but only occasionally are the sightings featured in a decent article - otherwise we get the usual stuff from the major tabloids. Although I have received thousands of reports over the years there must be a decent amount of people who've never told a soul about what they've seen. I was also contacted by someone regarding a photo if an alleged exotic cat. Over the years many people have claimed to have shot/run over a cat - or knew someone who has, and, of course, evidence is usually scant. In my book MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: KENT I featured a photo which someone claimed was of a puma that had been caught in a trap in North Kent. The image in the book clearly shows a domestic cat which has been photographed then stuck on as if it is hanging from a tree - in no way is the image of a large, exotic animal. However, one chap did say that a few years ago he had snared a smaller exotic cat so we'll see what happens...it reminded me of the case a few years back when a buolder claimed that he'd seen someone shoot a 'big cat' on a pheasant shoot on the Isle of Sheppey. Again, this seems unlikely and I'm more inclined to think the team of beaters had encountered a large feral cat. Sceptics argue that there are never any bodies of 'big cats' but again, this is such a naive attitude. You can walk for miles, for years, through vast forest and never find a deer that has died of natural causes and there are thousands of deer, mind you, exotic cat bodies have been found - animals have been shot dead and run over, but these are generally smaller cats, but absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence.
Many 'big cat' stories seem to fade into urban legend, this is understandable when the stories are old and they get passed down through generations like Chinese whispers. Over the years I've bene told numerous fantastic tales which are rarely verified. There was the case down in Maidstone where a family claimed that a black leopard had been killed by a car. The animal was in a ditch and the famil watched in amazement as two leopards came out of the woods and were sniffing round the carcass. Then there's the story from Tonbridge way of the woman who heard a thud on her conservatory roof and found a dead lynx which she believed had been killed by a larger cat. Apparently the woman threw the lynx over the back fence and the newspaper came out and photographed it. This has never been provem. Then there was the chap in Dover who claimed that his car was written off when he struck a lynx and then there was the day I spent trying to run across a motorway in order to find the alleged carcass of an enormous spotted cat. Bizarrely, all we found was a tiny cuddly leopard toy was the witness was adamant that the previous day crows had bene pecking at a large, decomposing animal. Cover up or a simple case of misidentification ? However fascinating these type of stories are, many are nothing more than legend, or, byt he time you arrive on the scene things turn out to be not quite as dramatic as one would hope.
I do wonder how many reports the authorities receive of cats that have been run over etc. A rather cowardly chap recently at a poke at me (he didn't use his actual name of course...very brave) regarding an article that appeared in a major paper regarding the alleged cover up of big cat bodies by the Ministry of Defence. It had been claimed that the MoD were hiding such bodies from the public, and that they'd been picking alleged carcasses up from the roadside and possibly analysing them in some type of covert fashion. It makes for a great story but my opinion is that if a body of a leopard was run over and it was reported to the 'authorities', then surely they would - i.e. the MoD - have the right to take that body away. Why would they need to consult the local 'big cat' researcher or give the carcass to the local news station ? Maybe the MoD have taken bodies into the bowels of their secret laboratories, but isn't this getting into the realms of aliens and UFOs ? If a leopard is found, and obviously it would be considered a danger to the public - especially if it's injured - then the authorities would have a right to deal with it. Whether we believe in cover up's or not, is not the question, but the main problem is that too many researchers are creating, in their minds a complex web of intrigue about the British 'big cat' situation. Yes, it is possible bodies have been investigated by the MoD, but I'm pretty sure that if a local researcher found a carcass of a 'big cat' he'd be all too keen to splash it over the news thinking that once and for all he'd found his Holy Grail...but one body does not solve a mystery. All it does is give a local researcher a massage of his ego.
I'm pretty sure there are people out there gagging to capture a big cat or find a dead one. At the moment there are trigger cameras everywhere hoping to catch a glimpse of cat, and then of course it'll be all over the tabloids for a week then fade...until the next one. I distinctly recall a few years ago some fantastic photo's in a major tabloid showing a puma looking through a patio door of a house in a Welsh valley...great photo, but the general opinion is "so what ?", and this is how it'll always be unless someone of authority turns round and says "Yes, we DO have leopard and puma in our wilds", but that's not going to happen unless all these cats form a gang and start killing people. When a mystery comes along people make their own minds up - they create conspiracy theories, they start thinking that because they haven't seen a 'big cat' that such animals are paranormal or teasing them, others seem to believe there are thousands of big cats around, others suggest that they aren't big cats but monster hybrids, so it all adds to the melting pot. The one thing lacking of course is consistency but as we know...consistency doesn't make a newspaper headline. Everyone has their own opinion...fair enough...and those that see such animals will react in their own personal way...and I'm sure a day will come when one or more cats is filmed very clearly, and who knows, with the amount of people scouring the woods and fields maybe a dead leopard or puma will turn up...but people will still say "so what?" and maybe they have a right to. After all, it's just a large cat in a place it shouldn't be...
...but if you see one, or have any evidence, then please forward it to me at: neil.arnold@live.com I'll happily come and have a look, and advise.
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