Fear black panther loose in Gloucestershire after photo of ‘big cat’ shared in Stroud

Experts have suggested that a black panther could be walking around after a walker saw a ‘big cat’ on camera.

The animal was seen yesterday morning in the woods in the village of Thrupp near Stroud in Gloucestershire.

Frank Tunbridge, who has spent decades researching big cat sightings in rural Britain, claimed that the “sleek” animal “has all the characteristics of a black panther.”

Big cat expert says the ‘sleek’ animal ‘has all the characteristics of a black panther’

The animal was seen in a tree-lined field near Stroud by the viewer, who says he was only 100 meters away when he captured the photo on his phone.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “I’m not sure what the animal was, but it was certainly a feline in its movement.

‘My first thought was that it was a family dog ​​that got out, so at first I wasn’t scared at all, but once I realized what it could be I took a few pictures and quickly retired.

‘I’ve never seen such an animal, but it seems likely that a big cat was roaming the countryside.

“It seemed to be playful and completely oblivious to me in the minute or so that I was observing it.”

Experts recently suggested that cougars were behind a wave of sheep death in Wales, after examination of the corpses revealed they had been ‘clinically’ killed – as opposed to a random dog attack.

Since November, a series of reports have been made to the Puma Watch North Wales group.

A farmer found seven sheep slaughtered in his Snowdonia field, while other farmers in the area also expressed concern about how their livestock had been killed.

Large claw marks have also been discovered – up to six feet above the ground – on trees. Big cats are thought to do this to sharpen their claws and warn other predators.

Big cat lover Frank Tunbridge has been studying the animals for about 25 years.

Mr. Tunbridge believes big cats were released in the UK during and after the Dangerous Animals Act enacted in 1976.

The 73-year-old from Podsmead in Gloucester said: ‘This photo has all the hallmarks of an Asian melanistic black leopard, also known as a black panther.

The long tail with a small tuft at the end is typical of leopards.

However, this photo reveals a creature that has adapted to life and hunt fast-moving deer in the UK.

It’s sleek, sleek, leggy, with a small head, but still an efficient predator that has the tools for the job, with the teeth and claws.

This particular type of British big cat, like the one in the photo, reflects at least 80 percent of the sightings I’ve received over the years and, if it is real, she now values ​​either the natural adaptation of a species , or a hybrid animal that now breeds faithfully and lives and breeds within the British Isles. ‘

The eyewitness added: “I have heard that there have been similar sightings in the Stroud area. I decided I had to take the picture because I didn’t think anyone would believe me.

‘Two colleagues were with me but did not see the animal with their own eyes as they were working a few meters from me, they did not believe the photos.

“I don’t plan to find the creature again, but I do work in the area regularly, so I’ll make sure I have my sanity about me.”

The real deal: A ‘black panther’ isn’t actually its own kind – it’s an umbrella term that refers to any big cat with a black coat

Similar sightings of ‘big cats’ have been reported in the area over the years.

In 2018, Guillaume Lyons claims he saw a big cat on the towpath just up the road from this sighting, in Brimscombe.