Report from Chris Smith
Find The Phantom Menace
By Steven Ventura in the Daily Record 24 th December 2002
STUNNED police officers have come face to face with the Beast of Ardrossan.They answered a call about eerie screeching noises to find a 3ft-tall yellow- eyed animal resembling a puma.
It quickly vanished into the undergrowth.
Now residents in the Ayrshire town have been put on alert.
The officers were called out to waste ground next to Aitken Place at 3am when neighbours reported the strange sounds.
The dark-coated creature slipped away just yards from the home of Fiona Lamont.
Fiona, 30, said last night: "The cat must have been prowling almost in my back garden.
"I don't think we are in any danger but neighbours are bound to be concerned for their pets."
Another local, Joan Kane, 50, said: "It does terrify me. It is quite scary knowing there is a big cat on the loose."
A police spokesman said: "There are no wildlife parks that we are aware of that it could have escaped from. The public are asked to be vigilant and sightings should be reported. The animal should not be approached."
Phil Crosby, of the Big Scottish Cats Team, said: "The description fits that of a puma. The screeching noises could mean that it is searching for a mate. "We have had reports of sightings in Ayrshire before."
Daily Record, 24 th December 2002
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