Horse attacked at Newburgh
October 1996
Mrs. M runs a farm outside of Newburgh, between Cupar and Perth. She keeps cattle and horses, as well as hens, ducks and chickens.
During October 1996 Mrs M's horse, Jasmine, who she describes as being 15'2 and absolutely scared of nothing, was found in a terrible state. Jasmine was in her usual paddock on top of a hill with the other farm horses. "But something must have frightened it," said Mrs. M. Jasmine broke away from the field, running through hedges, barbed wire fences, and actually ran through, smashing a five bar wooden gate.
"I found the horse in an extreme state of agitation, this was no ordinary wild animal that caused this distress to such a large horse," she said. "Jasmines eyes were bulging, as if on stalks., sweating profusely, her ribs heaving, no breath left. She was also covered in scratches," obviously made by its frenzied dash. Mrs. M also noticed scratches further up on the horses back that looked like, "claw marks" and she thought they looked rather, "unusual."
Two nights later, the horses in the paddock at the rear of the farm house were, "spooked by an unknown something." She could find nothing to account for the horses nervousness after investigation. Then a little later Mrs. M states that she heard, "sounds like a lion cub calling." She explains that through a keen interest in wildlife she, "knew exactly what the sounds were." She told her husband who was asleep beside her, and he basically told her not to be stupid and that she was imagining things.
Again, two nights later Mrs. M heard the sounds, and after initially getting ready to go out and investigate, she decided not to thinking that discretion would be the better part of valour!
Nearing completion of a sewage farm near the Ms land, the works foreman informed them that he and several of his men had seen in daylight, on two occasions, "a large cat-like animal," black in colour, "with a massive long tail." On both occasions it had entered nearby reed beds.
Two weeks later sightings of a black puma type animal were reported in Cupar, then the famous Cupar footage was taken and reported principally by the Scottish Sun.
October 1996
 |
 |
 |
|
| Return to index | Return to Scottish Big Cats | Return to Fife | Return to 1996 |