Report from Reuel Chisholm
Beast captured on camera roaming Ulster countryside
By Ashleigh Wallace in the Belfast telegraph 30 th September 2003
FORGET the beasts of Ballybogey currently at large in north Antrim, because
as these exclusive pictures show, it seems yet another big cat is roaming
Ulster's countryside.
The picture - which clearly shows a large black cat roaming in a field - was
taken by a Dublin-based doctor who spotted the animal close to Slieve
Bearnaigh in the Mourne Mountains.
Dr Brendan O'Donnell managed to capture the large black cat on camera in
July, when he and his wife Jane were preparing to climb Slieve Bearnaigh.
And he is adamant that what he saw that day was no domestic creature.
Dr O'Donnell said: "I got out of the car first and I just happened to glance
over a hedge into the field. It was a beautiful view and I was amazed this
large black cat just sauntered across the field.
"It was totally unaware and oblivious to the fact I was watching and it seemed
to know the terrain very well. It was following a very definite route, it
went straight across the field and ignored some cows at the bottom of the field.
The doctor continued: "It was unbelievable. It was completely different to a
domestic cat in the way it moved, which to me was like a hunter. It was
completely black in colour and was bigger than a collie.
"The long tail, which can be seen in the picture, was incredibly distinctive.
It was one of the most distinctive features and proved to me it couldn't be a
domestic cat."
When asked if he felt in any danger in the presence of the big cat, Dr
O'Donnell replied: "It showed no interest in me or my wife whatsoever. I didn't feel
frightened of it at all."
The doctor of medicine admitted some people were sceptical about what he and
his wife saw - until they saw the photographs. "Once they saw the photos, they
were convinced", he said.
Belfast Telegraph, 30 th September 2003
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