Report from Chris Smith
Big-cat sighting still remains a mystery
By Hazel Lawson in the Press & Journal, May 15 th 2001
Sightings of a cougar-like creature spotted in Aberdeenshire last week have been dismissed by a Fochabers man.
Peter Cromar was travelling on the Aberdeen-Alford road last Friday afternoon, the same day a sighting of a big cat was reported in the area.
He believes he was the person described in an article in the Press and Journal on Saturday.
In the article, Alex Nobel, from Banchory, described seeing someone looking through binoculars at what he thought was a cougar-type animal.
Mr Cromar believes it was the same animal he saw but is adamant that it was a wildcat, native to Scotland.
He said: "My wife asked me to stop the car as she had noticed an unusually large cat crossing a field and heading up hill towards a wood.
"I had a clear view of the cat at about 100 yards distance through my binoculars.
"It looked like a large domestic tabby. It had black rings down the length of its tail with a black tip.
"In my opinion it was a native wildcat.
It is unusual to see wildcats out in open ground, but it was heading towards the woods. My wife remains unconvinced.
There have been two other recent sightings of big cats in Aberdeenshire.
David Mitchell, of Kintore, spotted a large cat-like animal on the road near Elrick, and on the same day a woman reported what she thought was a puma in a wooded area beside Peterculter.
The Press & Journal: May 15 th 2001
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