Sighting of a ‘big cat-like creature’ by a dogwalker at UK beauty spot could be linked to summer drought, says wildlife expert
- Patsy Toleman, from Hempsted, spotted the ‘big cat’ while walking her dog
- She had initially thought it was a black Labrador but then saw its ‘pointed ears’
- Mrs Toleman made the sighting at a stream in Robinswood Hill, Gloucestershire
- Wildlife expert Frank Turnbridge said the ‘cat’ could have been in search of water
- He added that as a result of drought conditions, wildlife behaviour has to adapt
A ‘big cat’ sighting at a UK beauty spot could be linked to drought, according to a wildlife expert.
Patsy Toleman, from Hempsted, Gloucester, spotted the ‘big-cat like creature’ near a stream while taking her dog for a morning walk.
Mrs Toleman initially thought it was a black Labrador but then saw it had ‘pointed ears’, before it disappeared ‘in a flash’.
Wildlife expert Frank Turnbridge, 74, said the animal could have been in search of water as a result of the drought and that sightings of big cats in the area had increased during lockdown.
Patsy Toleman, from Hempsted, Gloucester, spotted a ‘big-cat like creature’ near a stream while taking her dog for a morning walk (file photo)
He also suggested the animal could be an ‘itinerant hybrid’ – a descendant of captive pumas and leopards released and dumped in England countryside after the 1976 dangerous animals act came into force.
Mrs Toleman had been out for a walk on Robinswood Hill, a country park that runs next to the M5 in Gloucestershire, when she made the sighting.
She had been walking her dog on the lower path and was headed in the direction of the stream as her dog likes to paddle in there, she told Gloucestershire Live.
Mrs Toleman said: ‘When I was walking I saw what I thought was a black Labrador about 120 yards away. I looked around for an owner and could not see one.
‘Then I noticed the animal had pointed ears. It looked at me then was gone in a flash disappearing into the shrubs and poppies.’
She said she had known Mr Turnbridge for many years so gave him a call to tell him about what she had seen.
Mrs Toleman initially thought it was a black Labrador but then saw it had ‘pointed ears’ before it disappeared ‘in a flash’ (file photo)
Mrs Toleman said Mr Turnbridge ‘quite casually’ told her there had been other big cat sightings in the area and that the animals ‘go further looking for a water source when the weather gets hot’.
Mr Turnbridge, from Podsmead, Gloucester, said it seemed likely the cat was spotted by the stream because it was thirsty.
He said: ‘Now, because of drought conditions, wildlife has to adapt its behaviour to suit.
‘I am receiving reports of deer drinking from garden ponds, and cattle troughs, as their usual more remote sources of water evaporate in the heat.’
Mr Turnbridge added that animals sighted in the area had also been scavenging for food in similar ways to urban foxes.
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