Report from George Markie
Black cat seen by Scientific officer
From 'Eyewitness Accounts' in Cat Country, The Quest for the British Big Catby Di Francis, David and Charles, 1983
28 th August 1980, Cannich, Inverness-shire
On 28 August, a scientific officer from the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Banchory, was collecting birch seeds from the hill area near Ted Noble's farm and directly above and about half a mile from Miss Chisholm's cottage. At 11.00 am he was amazed to see an animal in a clearing among the birch and gorse, about 30-40 yd away from him. It was sitting with its back to him and his first impression was that it was a huge black cat. He estimated its size as larger than a fully grown Alsatian dog. Its colour was definitely black and it had a long thick tail. The weather was dry and sunny and this eliminated the possibility that the animal's coat appeared black because it was wet. The witness decided that discression was the order of the day and made a hasty retreat.
28 th August 1980
John Catchcart recalls: "A higher scientific officer from the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Banchory was collecting seeds above Ted Nobles house at Cannich and he went through a clearing where he saw an animal he maintained was the size of an Alsation dog. The colour - jet black on a beautiful sunny day. Here was a higher scientific officer, maybe not an animal expert, but certainly a very credible witness, seeing the animal."
28 th August 1980
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