Report from George Markie
Police Officer's Big Cat Sighting
By Ralph Barnett in the Dundee Evening Telegraph 23 rd September 2002
THE INCREASINGLY bold big cat of Angus put in another appearance on Saturday afternoon when it was seen by an off-duty police officer on the outskirts of Carnoustie, yards from the main East coast rail line.
The animal, described as "jet black, bigger than a fox and unmistakably feline," was watched for 20 minutes prowling along a newly- harvested cereal field.
While wishing to remain anonymous, the Tayside officer said, "In the course of my work and leisure activities, I reckon I have seen just about every wild and domesticated animal there should be in Scotland.
"This, however, was something I have never seen before. I'm now wholly convinced there are animals living around us that are not part of the natural fauna.
"I was 150-200 yards from the cat and watched it for a good while through binoculars. Although it was jet-black, the only animal I would liken it to in general size and build is a lynx.
"Having walked across the field after the animal disappeared I was able to gauge its size against the tussocks of grass and the fence. I would estimate it to have stood a good two feet at the shoulder and easily four feet in length.
"This was not a large domestic cat, a dog or a fox ... It was definitely a cat of a type I have never come across before."
Yesterday's sighting was the latest report of a lynx-like black cat in the Carnoustie/Monifieth area.
Dundee man George Markie, of the Scottish Big Cats investigation team, urged anyone curious to find out more to visit www.bigcats.org/abc/.
Dundee Evening Telegraph
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