Report from George Markie
Big Cat at Cannich in 1947 - From Beasts on the prowl
By Jim Gilchrist jgilchrist@scotsman.com, in the Scotsman, 2 nd February 2002
... Such tangible evidence would also delight retired Detective Sergeant John Cathcart of Inverness, who has kept a dossier of big cat sightings since the end of the 1970s when he investigated the case of Felicity the puma, trapped by a farmer at Cannich and who ended her days as a celebrity inmate of the Highland wildlife park at Kincraig. Cathcart says that after that, "sightings poured in, not just from Cannich but throughout Inverness-shire, Nairnshire and Ross-shire".
There is nothing new about our unofficial feline population. Men who worked on the hydro scheme at Cannich in 1947 have told Cathcart of seeing a large black, cat-like animal. The most tangible evidence is from sheep attacks: "Since October 2001, three smallholdings on the Black Isle alone have lost 16 adult hogs - all killed in a similar manner, the neck bitten and flesh removed from the hip area. It's totally inconsistent with dog attack.".
Scotsman, 2 nd February 2002
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