Just to add my tuppeny's worth...
Having been educated in Zoology, it amazes me to hear that a few bona fide "scientists" are seriously banging on about big cats in the UK with little or NO proof.
Don't get me wrong - I'm all for the myths and rumours and fairytales - adds a little romance and mystery to our countryside - pixies, nessie, beasts of bodmin etc...
Fortean zoologists and crypto-zoologists must remember that scientists, REAL scientists work with evidence and proof - not hearsay and "honestly, I DID take a roll of film, but errrr.... the Black Panther urrrmmm.... ate it", gobbledegook.
I would like nothing more than to have big cats roaming the wilds of Britain.
But there aren't any.
I would like to think that crop circles were made by landing alien space ships.
But they weren't.
Unless the aliens were called Doug and Dave.
I would love Nessie to exist.
But she doesn't.
As for genuine sightings of big cats in Britain - you just have to peruse the insects or birds fora on WAB to see that a wrong impression of size with sightings is commonplace - entirely natural, and VERY subjective.
I know for a fact also, that there are at least several communities in Britain that have great fun with the tourists / non-locals with tales and "evidence" of big cats - its a hoot to them - and long may it continue.
SOoooo....
Here's to the wonderful eccentricity of us British, and our myths and fairytales. (I'll tell you about the "tree-
Rabbits" of Slough one day).
Long may the big cat rumours continue.
Personally I could do with seeing more humour and fun in big-cat research in the UK, rather than straight-faced, almost dour seriousness of both researchers and reporters, buy hey ho, I can't have everything!
By the way.
The Tree
Rabbits of Slough DO really exist.
I've seen them.
But then again, I am their God...
TBR