Crofter Is Attacked By Big Cat
'Black beast' mauls woman
Report from Chris Smith
From the Daily Record, January 14 th 2002
A WOMAN has been left with claw marks and a huge bite on her thigh after being mauled by a big cat.
The huge black beast pounced as the crofter went to check her ponies. She fought it off by stabbing it in the face with her car keys.
Yesterday, the victim, who refused to be named, told the Record: "I can assure you this was no bloody pussycat. I was lucky - the next time it could be a child.
"It was big, black and came out of nowhere in the dark. I could feel its breath and weight on me."
The crofter, in her 50s and married, was taken to hospital for treatment.
It is the first known attack on a human in Scotland by a so-called "big cat" after numerous sightings.
The terrified woman had been checking ponies on a croft near the Glens of Foudland, in Aberdeenshire, around 7pm on Friday.
A friend, retired farmer Wilfred Simpson, 81, was with her at the time.
The woman said: "There was no noise, the thing that attacked me was black and it was pitch black. It seemed to be the size of a labrador."
"I was screaming and trying to get to my car. It pulled at my trousers and ripped them and then it plunged its teeth into my leg.
"I have claw marks on my leg and a bite mark on my thigh that is four inches wide and no ordinary cat could do that."
Mr Simpson said: "I heard her screams and thought she had fallen on the ice.
"Then I saw this big, black, sleek beast running off into the darkness. It was about the same size as a big dog.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw the bite mark. I had never believed anything about big cats until now."
Last night, police confirmed they had received reports of a big cat in the area.
There have been a number of sightings in Aberdeenshire and several farmers have had sheep killed and eaten in their fields.
Some are believed to be a cross between domestic cats and wild cats. But others are thought to be wild animals released by their owners.
Scores were released into the wild after the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976 made it illegal to keep them without a licence. Experts claim up to 70 big cats are prowling the countryside.
In August 2000, Josh Hopkins, 11, was mauled by what is believed to have been a black panther in Wales.
Last May, a lynx was found wandering the streets of north London.
The Daily Recod: January 14 th 2002
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