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Wednesday, 28 August, 2002, 10:43 GMT 11:43 UK
Big cats 'on the increase'

"Evidence" includes footage of a suspected "Fen tiger"

Big cats are on the loose in Britain and breeding their way towards record
numbers, a monitoring group has claimed.

The British Big Cats Society said it has received more than 800 reports of
animals including pumas, black panthers, leopards and so-called Fen tigers over
the past 12 months.

And while it admits that many sightings are of nothing more exotic than the
average moggy, it claims to have "firm evidence" that the majority are real.

Society founder Daniel Bamping told BBC News Online he could cope with the
critics and doubters, adding: "I was a sceptic, I thought it was in the same
realm as the Loch Ness monster.

"But it's not, they are really out there."

'Cats with cubs'

Mr Bamping said there have been reports of big cats from every corner of the
country.



Big cat reports
Hotspots include Scotland and Gloucestershire
January 2002 - Kent man clawed by suspected Lynx
November 2001 - farmer reports animals mauled by big cat
April 2001 - Lynx captured in north London
1999 - Puma-like cat attacks horse in Wales

"This weekend alone I have had sightings from Wales, the Scottish borders, Kent,
the West Midlands, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire," he said.



The society claims some of the big cats are breeding with domestic animals.

But Mr Bamping said others, particularly lynx and puma, probably exist in
sufficient numbers to breed among themselves.

"We have had sightings of cats with cubs," he added.

'Trigger camera'

The society claims to have evidence proving the cats' existence, including
photographs, paw prints, sheep kills and hair samples.

But it knows it will have to do even more to convince a sceptical public that it
is not spinning them a shaggy cat story.

A national "trigger camera" project is planned which, the society hopes, will
provide footage to prove the existence of the big cats.

Mr Bamping said: "The idea is that the cat will walk past the camera and take a
picture of itself."

'Like dogs'

The society believes many of the sighting are of pets released into the wild, or
their descendants.

Its spokesman Danny Nineham said: "In the 1960s and 1970s, people had big cats
like leopards as pets and they used to walk them like dogs.

"But in 1976 when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act came into force, people
released their cats because they did not want to pay for a licence, put them
down, or take them to a zoo."

 WATCH/LISTEN  ON THIS STORY Daniel Bampin, Big Cats Society
"What clarifies as a big cat is whether it roars or not"


See also:


03 Jul 02 | Scotland
Big cat search in hospital grounds

12 Oct 02 | England
Farmer hopes to trap big cat

05 Feb 00 | UK
'Big cat' on the prowl

19 Aug 99 | UK
Puma hunters target Wales

21 Jul 98 | UK
'Beast of Bodmin' captured on video

27 Sep 98 | UK
Home Counties puma alert

20 Nov 98 | UK
Hunters try to bag Dartmoor lion

16 Aug 99 | Wales
Police investigate puma sightings

Internet links:


British Big Cat Society
Mystery Cats
Natural History Museum's science casebook
Paranormal A to Z

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Top UK stories now:


No rush to war, says Blair

10,000 chased for congestion fine

Omagh detectives make arrest

Beckham forgives Ferguson

Waiter jailed for underage sex

Britons 'baffled over euro rate'

Sleepy drivers who kill face jail

Man charged after boy stabbed

Links to more UK stories are at the foot of the page.




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In This Section No rush to war, says Blair 10,000 chased for congestion fine
Omagh detectives make arrest Beckham forgives Ferguson Waiter jailed for
underage sex Britons 'baffled over euro rate' Sleepy drivers who kill face jail
Man charged after boy stabbed Climbdown on care home rules Ex-Gurkhas take MoD
to court Foster anger over Cheriegate film Fame or misfortune beckons for
weblogs? Sex workers say 'let us stay' Expat e-mail: Afghanistan EU warning to
Iraq considered


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