Big Cats Living As Wild In The Uk

Leopard Shaz · #1 (**permalink**) 18-01-2006, 05:00 PM

Hi All!! XXX

I have been involed in big cat conservation and many controversial issues since a child!! Grew up with big cats as my gran kept 2 tigers gfrom cubs and currently I belong to the rare leopard conservation charity called The Cat Survival Trust based in Codicote Welwyn, Herts.

Big cats do exist living as wild in the UK and we had 2 a mother and daughter who lived as wild and were seen all round Beds mainly in the quarries.The daughter was born in the quarry and would be around 3 years now.

The cats were seen by many residents who live near the quarry and are very elusive.
There are also 2 panthers seen regularly near the Trusts site in Welwyn with evidence of scratching on the tree and visual evidence by many including our Director!

So!! in addition to the Beast of Bodmin...ther is a coupleof beasts of Bedfordshire and a couple in Hertfordshire as well!!!

I lovepanthers in particular and hope one day to have my own sanctuary and keep purely panthers.

If there is anyone by the way who wants to help out at The Cat Survival Trust please come along everyoneis a volunteer no paid staff at all so the more we have the merrier as we currently have a major building project going on and several new additions last year.The cats at the Trsut are several gorgeous snowleopards,Athena the Jagg also known as JAGGS,several Caracal including kittens,Bob cats,Lynx,and Scottish wildcats and a brother and sister puma called Kitcat and Crunchie.

No experience is necessary just alove for the outdoors some free hours a week or month and a willingness to muck in asit certanly isnt glamourous!!

The Trust website is
www.catsurvivaltrust.org

If you are interested in volunteering please speak directly to our Director Dr Terry Moore on 01438 716873 OR Email him on
cattrust@aol.com

It is a magnificent experience to be able to work alongside thse magnificent big cats and I am sure many of you will agree that the snowleopard is the most magnificent of all rare leopards seldom seen so it is a rare treat to be able to play with the cubs Sharma andChen!

All the best
LEOPARD SHAZ XXX

nightshade · #2 (**permalink**) 18-01-2006, 07:30 PM

Big Cats Big Country

Leopard Shaz · #3 (**permalink**) 23-01-2006, 02:21 PM

Thanks for your point however who would have thought leopards escapees or those that have been set free by irresponsible owners live sucessfully as wild in our midst!!!

Surrey Snow · #4 (**permalink**) 12-02-2006, 12:54 AM

What about the Surrey Puma?

What do you know about that?

SS

Leopard Shaz · #5 (**permalink**) 12-02-2006, 02:14 PM

Hiya,
Thanks for your email,I am sorry I dont live in Surrey so do not know about the Surrey puma the cat survival trust is absed in Herts,I live in Beds and we are looking for volunteers for the Trust
www.catsurvivaltrust.org
phone 01438 716873
email cattrust@aol.com

There are a large number of leopards which live as wild in the uk most of tehm are escapees and many sightings throuhgout the uk confirm puma and black leopards.....mercifully no sightings of lions or tigers.

Should you be interested in ever coming up our sanctuary please visit the website and contact our Director DR TERRY MOORE office hours for further details or if you should want to volunteer and have any free time love leoaprds we hjave the largest collection of rare leoaprds under one premises ie puma snowleoaprds,jaguar,lynx,caracals,serval,ocelots,s cottish wild cats..
All the best,
SHARON M MOORE
leopardshaz@yahoo.co.uk

RobF · #6 (**permalink**) 19-02-2006, 09:11 PM

Biologists recently found a new species of cat in the impenetrable jungles of Borneo. The pictures taken of it were crystal clear. How come there hasn't been a clear picture taken of a british big cat?

I would like to believe there are big cats out there, but until I've seen the pics....

The program "Alien Big Cats" on National Geographic was excellent.

Rob

Stuart · #7 (**permalink**) 23-02-2006, 11:15 PM

What quarries are there in Beds and where please Shaz? And what exactly the species of cat are you talking of?

nightshade · #8 (**permalink**) 24-02-2006, 08:55 AM

I missed the programme apparently called "alien cats" that went into the subject at length my source says it may have been a national geographic film

RobF · #9 (**permalink**) 24-02-2006, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightshade

I missed the programme apparently called "alien cats" that went into the subject at length my source says it may have been a national geographic film

It was a National Geographic program, called "Alien Big Cats". Its re-run occasionally and essential viewing!

Basically, they got a fur-trapper from the States to check out the evidence of moggies. It was great, he identified big cat expert Danny Bamping's (of British Big Cat Soc) photo evidence of sheep kills and scratched children as all being done by dogs. He was taken to an estate where the gamekeeper showed him pug marks from the cats, all were dog prints.

I seem to recall a shorter programme on terrestrial TV about a guy who set trail-cams and had NV gear etc. I've never seen the pics to date.

There was also a programme on Tyne Tees about big cats in Durham, the only photo that looked OK was of a large feral cat carrying a small rabbit.

Rob

Kayleigh · #10 (**permalink**) 25-02-2006, 04:04 PM

Hi

I live in south Northants. My husband and I have both seen on different occasions large black cats. He was fishing very early one morning when he saw a large black cat walk into the undergrowth at Iron stone quarry now a fishing lake off the A43.
Then I was going to work about 9am and saw a large black cat across a field at Stoke Bruerne the junction towards Blissworth.

Where abouts in Bedfordshire have you seen the big cats.