Report from Brenda Butt via Chris Smith
Big Cat remains elusive but fan speaks out
From the Northern Scot, 26 th January 2001
The Kingston big cat does exist... but it remains elusive, reclusive, and no threat to humans or livestock, a resident has claimed.
And our sceptical Garmouth correspondent Mr David Mackay has this week been taken to see pug marks which, he admits, are those of a large cat.
'It certainly did seem to me that these were made by a cat, and I would estimate something about the size of a lynx, although evidence from the sightings shows the ears would be wrong for a lynx,' he said.
'I have never said there weren't any big cats around - there have been too many sightings in other parts of the country, but there is no evidence of any feeding in the Kingston and Garmouth area.
'I did, however see a large cat myself some time ago, but took it to be a large feral cat;'
Local resident Hibre White, who showed Mr Mackay the pug marks, has seen the creature on several occasions and describes it as black, panther-like, but smaller and slimmer, and is so fascinated by the subject that she has written two articles about it.
'I first saw the creature three years ago at Mulben, and have seen a similar animal in this area several times,' she said.
'The first time it was standing between bushes watching me and I watched it for about 10 minutes. I wasn't frightened: I didn't feel I might be on the menu.
'Big cats are regularly sighted throughout the British Isles, so it doesn't seem unusual that one of their number has taken up residence locally, although as they cover a very large area it is impossible to know exactly where it may have a lair.
'It is now 24 years since the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976. In the aftermath of this, it is supposed that many exotic big cats were released into the wild by their unscrupulous owners, who were unprepared to obtain licences and provide appropriate accommodation for them.
'As a leopard in the wild only lives for about 12 years, it is probable that we are observing the original releasees' offspring.'
Mrs White said that cats were opportunistic hunters and would feed on rabbits and small mammals, so she was not surprised that there was no evidence of domestic livestock being taken.
A number of people have seen these beautiful animals, but we kept quiet because we did not want to be alarmist. However, I do not think that they are dangerous: there was someone in Banffshire who had contact with one and the cat just walked off.'
One person who was frightened by a sighting, however, is another Garmouth resident, Mrs Tanya Gilbert.
'It was eight years ago, I remember the exact date because it was my birthday, June 25, and it was 6 am. It was crossing the road just coming into Garmouth and I slowed down to look at it and it turned and looked back at me.
'It was beige in colour and about the size of a cheetah, but the head wasn't small like a cheetah's. I got a really good look at it - I'd thought at first it was a dog but then realised it was a big cat.'
'It really frightened me the way it looked at me.'
Northern Scot January 26 th 2001
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