Report from George Markie
Another Big Cat Beast On The Prowl
Witnesses said the big cat resembled a puma.
From Paisley Daily Express 5 th July, 2002
ANOTHER big cat is on the prowl... and, this time, the beast is running wild in Paisley.
Yesterday, Robert Law told how he spot ted a wild lynx prowling around a playpark in Foxbar which is popular with children.
News of the sighting in Foxbar came just hours after staff at Merchiston Hospital in Johnstone spotted a puma roaming the grounds there.
Shock
Mr Law, who lives in Foxbar, told the Paisley Daily Express he got the shock of his life when he looked out of a window at his home and saw a lynx crawl from a
fence bordering Durrock stock Park.
"I know what I saw and it was definitely a large lynx-like creature," said Robert, who is one of Scotland's top astronomers.
"It had a distinctive square-shaped face, big ears, long legs and a stealthy, loping walk.
"I didn't imagine it. There are lots of squirrels, birds and small mammals among the trees and bushes at Durrockstock Park, so it could well have been hunting them for food.
"It was around midnight when Robert heard an animal growling outside his flat in Waverley Road, which looks on to Durrockstock Park.
At first, he thought the snarling sound was from a fox foraging for food among trees bordering the small reservoir at the park, which is a favourite hang-out for children during the summer holidays.
But Robert could hardly believe his eyes when he watched the lynx emerge from the fence and amble nonchalantly along the pavement.
And, although he admits the prospect of meeting the lynx could be "a bit scary", Robert intends to have a look around the park to see if there are any traces of paw prints or carcasses of dead animals which the lynx could have been eating.
"Obviously, I won't take any chances but there are muddy places where the animal could have left footprints," he said.
"Lynx prints are bigger than a cat's and you don't see the claw marks because the claws are retractable.
"It's a bit scary but there's also an element of excitement at the prospect of seeing the lynx again.
I'll definitely be keeping my eyes - and the curtains - open to see if I can spot it.
"Meanwhile, there has been a fresh sighting of the puma which has been running wild in the grounds of Merchiston Hospital.
Yesterday, the Express told how four members of staff at the hospital had spotted the big cat, which is around 5ft long, on Wednesday morning.
Now the Express can reveal that a fifth member of hospital staff reported a sighting of the puma on Wednesday evening.
A nurse who was going off duty at the hospital at around 10pm spotted the wild animal and alerted police.Officers searched the grounds of the hospital, which is less than a mile from Johnstone town centre, but nothing was found.
The hospital's site manager, Robert Clark, said: "The animal has been described as tan/fawn in colour with pointed ears, about 5ft from head to hind quarters with a large tail and about 4ft in height.
"Last night, a top wildlife expert said the sightings of big cats running wild in the Paisley area come as no surprise to him.
Mark Fraser, who runs the Scottish section of the British Big Cats Society, added that the beast which was seen by Mr Law could be one of several lynxes which are thought to be roaming the high-lying countryside between Paisley and Stewarton.
And he confirmed that, just last week, there was a reliable sighting of a marauding lynx near Stewarton, which is less than 20 miles from Durrockstock Park.
"Lynxes travel around a lot and they are now being seen in built-up areas," said Mark.
"Several have been released or escaped into the wild from captivity. "There have been previous big cat sightings locally, including one in the Barrhead area earlier this year.
"It is definitely feasible that what Mr Law spotted was a lynx, especially as Paisley is so close to where they have frequently been seen.
"And a serving police sergeant has told the Express there were sightings of a puma-like creature near Glasgow Airport when he was based there a few years go.
He said: "The person who saw it travelled abroad a lot.
He was adamant that what he saw was a puma.
I was among the officers assigned to look for it but we think it moved on to another area."It is always worthwhile keeping an open mind on reports of big cat sightings.
"Lynxes, which are between two and three feet long, weigh about 20 to 30 pounds. They are native to North America, Asia and remote areas of Europe.
Officially, they became extinct in Britain about 4000 years ago, although some big cat experts reckon some survived to be the ancestors of those reported today.
Paisley Daily Express, 5 th July, 2002
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