Report from Phil Crosby
Puma-like cat seen near Eskbank
24 th September 2002
I received this sighting this morning in my email - the mail address simply said "moderator" so I'm a bit confused. Any thoughts on this - the sightings usually come with a different header, but this was the first I've seen like this. Unless it's Yahoo playing up again! or someone is sending me anonymous messages... can you do that with email?
Not sure how good the sighting is, it's dark by 8 pm around me by now, but it may be lighter around Eskbank. I would also have thought the size described was larger than the mans dog, although he describes it as being similar in size.
Phil Crosby
Time of sighting: 20:15
Please describe the terrain / town country etc. On edge of field bordering woods, dropping steely to North Esk River.
Field is adjacent to suburbs, but the Esk runs through Midlothian and provides a wildlife corridor.
Species: Puma like
Length of body including head: 3 foot - tail about similar length
Duration of sighting: 6-7 seconds
Comments: This evening after 8pm, as it was getting dark, I walked my dog in the field on the right as you leave Eskbank on the Lasswade road. We entered by the gate, skirting the east and north (tree-lined) sides of the field and went down to the Esk under the new bridge which takes the A7 across the Esk. On returning to the field in the northwest corner, I walked along the north, wooded side, parallel to the Esk. The dog was behind me (retreiving a stick I had thrown into the field). It was fairly dark by this time. A large creature ran from the field into the woods - at first I thought it was the dog (a smooth-haired collie) - but it was cat-shaped, about the same size as the dog, a long thin tail, a small head. It was not a deer, which I often see there, nor a fox. The dog caught up with me, and when he crossed its path he scented it and would have chased it into the woods (I could occasionally still hear it crashing through the bushes). I restrained the dog, because I was alarmed at the size and nature of it. It was only a brief glimpse, and getting dark, but its appearance and gait was very much that of the panther-like creatures which have been reported in other areas of the UK.
24 th September 2002
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