Report from George Markie

No purr-fect answer to mystery of big cat

By Nicole Luck in the Peterhead Gazette 2 nd May 2002

EXPERTS remained at odds this week over the origins of a mystery big cat that was found dead in Boddam countryside last week.

Theories include that the cat had escaped from a wildlife park or that it was a wildcat or bobcat.

A local farmer claimed it was the offspring of a bigger puma-type cat which may be still roaming around Boddam's countryside.

Bill Duffus, of Newton Farm, found the three and half foot long body of the animal near the Boddam to Peterhead road while out shooting rabbits last Wednesday.

Paul Paterson of Glasgow Zoo said be believed the cat might have been an escapee from a private collection.

He said: "A European wildcat would be about calf-height and twice the size of a normal cat. It would be easier to tell if the head had been intact as they have very distinctive ears."

The discovery of this cat is the first time any carcass has been found to substantiate their existence.

Peterhead Gazette 2 nd May 2002

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