Report from Chris Smith
Lioness like animal seen carrying cat
From 'Eyewitness Accounts' in Cat Country, The Quest for the British Big Catby Di Francis, David and Charles, 1983
30 th January 1979, Bishop Kinkell, Conon Bridge, Ross-shire
On 30 January 1979 a lioness-like animal was seen near Bishop Kinkell, Conon Bridge. This animal was carrying a cat in its mouth and it disappeared into a nearby wood, though whether the cat was prey or a cub is unclear from the report. Helen Fitch of Bishop Kinkell watched the animal in a field about 100 yd from her house. She said it was 'a big cat, similar to small lioness or puma. I have lived in Central Africa and seen animals like that before.' Police took casts of prints.
A week later farmer John Henderson reported prints 3-4 in across, the pads and claw indentations of which could be clearly seen, just a mile from Mrs Fitch's sighting.
30 th January 1979
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