Paw prints spark big cat mystery
A panther-like 'big cat' could be on the loose in Northampton, after a series of mystery footprints were discovered at a rural beauty spot.
The paw-marks, which were found by 12-year-old Gareth Thomas from Duston, appear to be similar to those produced by a standard domestic cat but are on a far bigger scale, suggesting they could have been made by something far more sinister.
Pictures of the footprints were passed on by the Chronicle & Echo yesterday to experts at the British Big Cat Society, who studied the photographs and confirmed they could have been made by a large cat-like creature, such as a panther or puma.
Big Cat expert Danny Bamping said: "There is definitely something there that looks like it has been produced by a large cat as you can see the pad marks. Some of the other marks suggest they could be a dog or a fox but the pad marks are certainly cat-like.
"It's impossible to say for definite but it's certainly very interesting. There have been a number of sightings of big cats in Northamptonshire so there's a chance this could be linked."
Sightings of brown, puma-like or black, panther-like felines at large in Britain have been increasing since the 1980s. There are now estimated to be 7,000 sightings of panther-like felines in Britain each year, although 90 per cent are not officially logged.
In recent years, a number of readers have contacted the Chronicle & Echo claiming to have spotted big cats roaming the Northamptonshire countryside. Sightings of a panther-like creature were reported in East Hunsbury, a road near Pattishall and near Blakesley.
The latest discovery took place last Friday in fields near St Crispin Crescent in Duston when Gareth was out walking with a friend.
He said: "We spotted them and thought they were unusual so followed the trail. At first we thought it might have been foxes or something but they were so big we realised it could be a panther.
"When we got home I went on the internet to do some research on them and they seemed to fit. It's quite scary to think there could be a panther living near my back garden but it's not going to stop me going out. I'm not frightened."
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Thursday 09 September 2010
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