Mystery 'big cat' captured prowling near Scottish trout fishery...It could be a "Bangle" cat

 

When people start talking outy of their backsides regarding wild cat tails the one thing it tells you is that theyu DO NOT know about true wild cats.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/general/mystery-big-cat-captured-prowling-near-scottish-trout-fishery/ar-AA2c0zqh?ctsrc=dgst&ocid=edgdhpruby&pc=U531&cvid=6aa3b622cf584c85a02dd0124780e711&cvpid=b287da8777f74dcbc399cda05fb4c361&uxmode=ruby&ei=8

 

A mystery feline captured on camera has sparked a huge online debate – with some claiming it could be a ‘big cat’.

David Duff filmed the animal from his balcony at Ledyatt Trout Fishery near Lundie, Scotland, where he has spotted it regularly for 18 months.

He described the animal as being between a ‘Labrador and a cat’, with a ‘rusty brown’ coat, black stripes and rings around the tail.

His clip, filmed at the Ledyatt Trout Fishery in Lundie, Angus, has been viewed more than a million times.

Mr Duff said many had commented the animal resembled a bangle cat, a muscular feline with a wild appearance, however he insisted it looked ‘nothing like it’.

But he said: ‘It’s not conclusive; it could be a hybrid, a wild cat.

‘It’s very hard to judge the scale and beauty of the animal from that video.’

The fishery owner added the cat was meat lover, and that he had seen it around 20 times in 18 months hunting rabbits and climbing trees.

He said he was unsure whether the ‘beautiful and massive’ cat was male or female, but that he was not surprised it had chosen to make the fishery its home.

Mr Duff added: ‘He is very elusive; he is beautiful and massive – it’s just awesome to have him here.

 

A Scottish fishery owner filmed a mysterious large feline which has made the facility its home over the last 18 months (Picture: SWNS)

 ‘The terrain here is absolutely perfect.

‘There’s loads of animals – it’s a mecca for wildlife, and it’s no surprise that this animal would make it its home.’

Experts at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) suggested the animal may have some ‘wildlife ancestry’ and could be a hybrid, given where it was spotted.

The charity said it would not be able to determine the cat’s exact identity without genetic testing or further footage.

Mr Duff said he had also spotted another mystery female on his land, this one much lighter than the one pictured in his video.

He explained: ‘It’s a magnificent area for a predator. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to scare wildlife away. It means I am doing everything right.

‘Whether it’s a domestic cat, a cross, purebred, it’s such a buzz to think that an animal has chosen to turn Ledyatt Trout Fishery home.

‘It’s a testament to everything we do.’

The large cat sparked a fierce debate online over its identity, with some believing it to be wild while others think it is a well-fed domestic pet (Picture: SWNS)

Hundreds of online viewers debated the identity of the feline, with some speculating it could be a wild cat.

One wrote: ‘What a capture! I would say wild cat with the stripes but hard to tell with the way it extended out her or his body.”

‘Hard to tell if it’s a wild cat or not. Tail would suggest it is’, another commented.

Others were convinced that the huge cat is in fact someone’s well-fed pet.

One wrote: ‘Domestic cat, tail is wrong for wild cat.”

Another added

Two NEW Publications: A Genuine British "Big Cat"-The Irish Wild Cat: Fact or Fiction?

 

 

A4

12pp

Colour/b&w

£12

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/the-case-for-a-genuine-british-big-cat/paperback/product-yvq8k8n.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

Terry Hooper-Scharf was the eotic wildlife consultant for UK police forces from 1977-2018 and when reports of “big cat” kills or evidence were received he evaluated the evidence.

In a high number of cases where a “puma” was reported the animals’ size did not match up even if facial markings were noted.

Other reports of panthers (black leopards) and black pumas  were also problematical and not explained as “baby big cats”. His interest in these reports resulted in police wildlife officers calling them “Hooper Cats”.

Video evidence was then received from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the police and  local wildlife enthusiasts. Everything matched up to some “black big cat” reports and once the basic information was gathered a good general description was of a black cat, leggy and the size of a whippet dog.

 There is no doubt that these were large cats but far from escapee exotics from private collections.

This paper presents the facts behind the Hooper Cats and what could well be called a genuine British ‘big’ cat.

 

A4

15pp

Colour/b&w

£12

 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/irish-wild-cat-fact-or-fiction/paperback/product-kv4wjyq.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 

Ever since the 18th century many noted naturalists and zoologists have argued for and against the existence of a wild cat species is Ireland (Northern Ireland and Eire). At times the debate in publications became quite heated  to the point of name-calling.

Starting in the late 1970s Terry Hooper-Scharf looked at the archival mentions of such animals in both Irish myth and legend as well as observations by naturalists and reports they collected.

Based on the historical record there was no doubt that an Irish wild cat was no myth but it did not appear to be related to the English, Welsh or Scottish wild cats (distinguished from the accepted European wild cat hybrids of today).  There is no doubt that the latter cats were observed in Ireland up until the 1970s and as with others around the UK were likely imported for hunting.

The big clue lay in an Irish museum as noted in 2021 and in 2026 it is confirmed that remains of a wild cat have been found in an Irish cave dating back 5,500 years and so confirming the Author’s own research.

Britain's X Files TV show Dismisses eye witness testimony and Evidence

I was sent a clip of Blaze TVs Britain;s X-Files in which Richard Freeman of a certain cryptozzology group, stated that the Special Air Service (SAS) weresent in to track and kill the Beast of  Exmoor.

That is 100% incorrect. Fantasy.

Firstly, as I have noted before; the Royal Marines were involved and I have spoken to three of them over the years. They were NOT allowed to open fire on anything as a high powered bullet could miss or go through a target travel on and hit a cottage and kill someone. Live rounds were not allowed and the Marines were there to calm the situation down and hopefully stop the armed groups going out every night.

As I also noted before many times, the MAFF enquiry was sent to calm things down and NOT look for evidence of a large cat.

The program then dismisses, despite what was said, Big Cats as fiction.

Well, that's 50 years of my life wasted. 

Moronic TV continues.

As for the experts in make believe. the "folklorists".  they can go folklore themselves.

An "inauthentic" Polish Puma

 There is something very suspicious going on in Poland re puma sightings and video/photos. Even people in puma territory in North America are surprised at the number of sightings.

Read this one.... https://tvpworld.com/94927409/-poland-mountain-lion-sighting-cougar-photo-declared-fake?fbclid=IwY2xjawT0I-FwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5QAKk63lEcK3GD0JBswji6Fapt5Y6HyHcHH4wb21Nk9wxQ55PVucxpO7afoA_aem_N4CW8CaNGP2yMf8Umi0ObA

A photograph purportedly showing a large cougar in southwest Poland has been declared inauthentic, days after local foresters warned residents and tourists to beware of the animal. 

 

The Świdnica Forest District said police officers had conducted a thorough review of the photograph and available information, and that “the authenticity of the photo of a cougar near Zagórze Śląskie … has not been confirmed.” 

 

It added that its original warning had been issued “for precautionary purposes” and was intended to protect residents and tourists using the forest.

 

 “We thank everyone for their responsible approach to this matter and urge everyone to exercise caution when interacting with wild animals,” it said in a social media post. 

 

The reversal follows an earlier social media post in which the forest district said a camera-trap image provided evidence of a big cat roaming forests near the villages of Michałkowa and Zagórze Śląskie. 

 

“For many of us, the information initially sounded like a joke—there was no photographic or video evidence confirming the presence of an unusual predator,” they had written in the earlier post, adding: “Now, however, we have concrete proof.” 

Sensationalist Dogma or Facts? Publishers only go for one!

 

I was asked why I stopped trying to find a more traditional publisher to handle the prose books since they would have all the extra marketing skills etc to sell titles?  

It isn't so much that I stopped looking it is the fact that publishers are simply not interested and have moved away from reading and publishing and gone more for publishing by committee -with members and their own prejudices and biases. 

This is what I got from one publisher regarding The Red Papers last year:

"Dear Terry,

"Thank you very much for your message and for sharing the background to your extensive work in wildlife study and conservation, as well as the details of your two publications.

"We appreciate your dedication and the long-term fieldwork and research that support these titles. To help us better understand the scope and potential fit of your work with our editorial line, we would kindly ask you to complete the attached proposal form. This document will allow us to gather key information about the content, intended audience, and objectives of the books. It also outlines how to send further material should the proposal move forward.

"Once we have the completed form and any additional documentation you wish to share, our editorial board will carefully review the proposal. If we feel there may be a possible fit, we will be in touch to discuss next steps.

Thank you again for considering Lynx Nature Books. "

Now, considering that the company had as best a synopsis as I could give of the work which covers decxades of study, research and field work as well as gathering very rare images how else can you make  the work of interest to a publisher?

Controversial and against dogma -fully referenced from official publications and works that back up the statements and not "Well I heard" as seems more common these days. We now KNOW what the original British Isles wild cat looked like as well as the fact that we know when Scottish zoologists declared (in 1897) that the Highland wild cat had become extinct. It can now be proven  (not that it ever needed to be) that there were indeed three variations in Old British foxes.

Original: since 1900 dogma set it that meant that generrations have been misled by people who like to call themselves experts but who preach dogma. It has taken decades of archive research as well as investigation to not just prove what is stated in the books as facts but even more to get physical evidence in the form of taxidermy specimens to prove the case.

The Red Paper: Canids (2010) was called by the late Sir David Bellamy "explosive for British natural history" -and that version of the book was "sparse" com,pared to the 2022 version.

Perhaps publishers want to save themselves embarrassment from decades of inaccurate books they have published?

And, no, I never heard back from Lynx Nature Books.  I did hear from another publisher that my manuscript had gone through the first committee to be looked at, then that the second committee had approved "the book being listed" to be looked at. A year on and nothing. 

Three years ago I was informed by one publisher that with modern societal changes they needed to look at books and consider gendere diversity and ethnic diversity and what my book could contribuite to that. I was writing about researchy on wild canids and felids and just what the hell anything else had to do with that I have no idea.

Unfortunately, I am not included in the long list of virtue signalling tick boxes.

The Red Papers were accepted three times by a publishing editor only, a month or so later, the same editor telling me that "At the moment the book does not fit into our upcoming schedule".  I later learnt that one publisher was very unhappy with one of the editors as they had been publishing the modern, false British natural history for decades.

I have a big collection of books on or referring to foxes in the UK. Each and every one of the authors has just done what we would call today "copied and pasted" from others. An incorrect fact published in 1950 is copied (almost verbatim) throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and ad infinitum.  Lying about factual history is never good.

Then we come to the "World mystery" books. Heavily researched and referenced with some -truthfully- very rare or thought lost photographs and images (we know they are lost images because author after auther states this...they just never went to the source material). The photographic image of the City of Brtistol that appeared in the sky over Alaska. Gone forever.. well, no. I found it. 

Many "mystery creatures" (cryptids) took years to dig down to the actual facts in the sources to sometimes surprisingly identify and only through archive research did I find a newspaper report of what might have been the first gorilla from Africa in the early 1800s.

The truth may well not be "sexy" or "hip" but for each animal identified or each mystery looked at and solved there are those that are not. You follow the facts and the reference sources to the truth -or the mystery.

Sadly, unless you scream "cover up" or push sensationalist  but provable false claims publishers are not interested. Back in the 1980s -yes, the 1980s- one publisher "loved" my manuscript but, in writing, asked whether I could not just add in claims of government cover ups, threats and so on to "spice it up"?  I responded that I could only write about provable facts and my own experiences and would not lie to spice things up. My book suddenly became very uninteresting!

I am an archivist, researcher and historian  so what do I do -just gather all the material in files andf let it gather dust until I am no more and it all gets burnt or thrown into a skip and lost forever?  No, I do what most stupid people like me do: self publish in the belief that people would sooner have fact that sensationalist lies. 

There are a lot of us stupid people around.

Macaque Walks Out of Zoo... Then Returns. Zoo Incompetence.

 Oh how did it escape the zoo?  Incompetence -unless it had access to skeleton keys and if not then stick with keeper incompetence.

-Credit:Highland Wildlife Park

Stephen Bark

 https://uk.yahoo.com/news/escaped-monkey-returns-enclosure-scots-170217937.html

Mon, 17 August 2026 at 6:15 pm BST

2 min read

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.

Luka the monkey has gone missing

A monkey which vanished from a Scots wildlife park is understood to have found his way back into his enclosure. Japanese macaque Luka was reported missing from the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore after he disappeared overnight on Sunday, August 16.

Staff at the park launched a desperate search to trace the animal and members of the public were warned not to approach him if they saw him. A thermal drone was brought in to aid the search.

When last seen, he was in the Balavil area. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which operates the park, said it did not know how Luka escaped.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said the animal safely returned to the wildlife park "of his own accord" on Monday evening.

"The search has concluded successfully and Luka is safely back in our care," Darren McGarry, head of animal care at RZSS, said.

"He will now be looked over by our keepers and veterinary team before being carefully reintroduced to his group."

Mr McGarry added: "We want to thank everyone who has helped during the search, particularly those who supported our teams. Luka arrived home on his own accord and we are delighted to have him safely back at the park."

Earlier, Darren McGarry, head of animal care at the RZSS, said: "We are doing everything we can to locate the macaque using a variety of techniques in the local area including a thermal imaging drone.

"Primate group dynamics can be very complex and males being forced out of a group is not uncommon. Although the macaque is not dangerous, our advice is members of the public should not approach him and to contact 07769165117 with any details of a sighting."

The Polish Puma Update and Poland's Exotic Escapees

 Euro News By Agata Todorow

Published on 11/08/2026 - 12:50 GMT+2 

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/11/residents-in-northern-poland-told-to-be-cautious-after-reports-of-possible-puma-in-area

Copyright AP Photo/Nati Harnik

If the big cat is located, authorities say they are not planning to shoot it. The animal is to be tranquillised and then safely captured.

Residents of several villages in northern Poland's Ciechanów County have been warned to stay away from woodland areas after reports of a large cat in the area, which could be a puma.

The warning applies to people in the villages of Osiek-Wólka, Osiek-Aleksandrowo, Osiek Górny and Stare Garnowo.

Local authorities have called for people to exercise caution and advised particular supervision of children until the situation has been clarified.

Head forester of the Ciechanów Forest District, Tomasz Dróżdż, told the PAP news agency that the big cat was reportedly spotted by an experienced hunter, a retired veterinarian and employee of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW).

The man observed the animal using a thermal imaging device. According to his account, the cat had a long, curled tail and was roughly the size of a young wild boar.

After the sighting was reported, forest district staff were sent to the area. Near a puddle they found the paw print of a large cat, which may belong to a puma. For now, however, it has not been possible to conclusively confirm the species of the animal.

This is not the first puma case in Poland

The current reports from Ciechanów County is not the first time this year that potential sightings of a puma have surfaced in Poland.

In July, a similar animal was spotted near Karsinka and Rekowo in the Polanów municipality in West Pomerania. The animal was even caught on video and local authorities urged residents to stay out of the forest.

In that case, the presence of a puma was confirmed and the animal was safely captured.

The young female was sedated and then transported to Poznań zoo, where she was to undergo tests and quarantine.

And at the end of June, a similar animal was also seen near Leniuszka in the Tuczna municipality.

An employee of the Chotyłów Forest District described it as a large animal with a reddish-grey coat, resembling a puma.

Poland struggles with multiple escaped exotic animals in one week

By Adam Woodward • Published: 19 Jul 2026 • 13:16 • 3 minutes read

Missing emu, puma and kangaroo. Credit: NL X

Exotic animals continue to create chaos across Polish regions as authorities and owners scramble to recapture several creatures on the loose and causing chaos. Recent incidents involving kangaroos, a puma, and an emu have drawn widespread public attention and safety warnings from local officials.

Baby kangaroo vanishes from Podkarpacie corn maze

Owners of a corn maze in Lopuszka Mala launched an urgent search for their escaped baby kangaroo several days ago. Residents last spotted the animal near Trzebownisko, some 35 kilometres away, suggesting it covered considerable ground quickly.

Owners stress that forceful attempts to grab the creature could frighten it further into unknown territory. A reward of one thousand zlotys (€250) awaits anyone who helps recover the animal safely. Social media posts about the missing marsupial spread rapidly among locals and online communities eager for a positive outcome.

White wallaby joins kangaroo escapees in Jastrzebie Zdroj

Social media users in Jastrzebie Zdroj shared videos of kangaroos roaming city streets in the Silesian Voivodeship. These animals broke free from a private breeding farm, with one distinctive snow-white wallaby from the Macropodidae family appearing in footage posted by a local blogger.

Local police teamed up with the owners to track down the escapees. Animal shelter representatives confirmed the sightings and called on anyone encountering a kangaroo to contact authorities instead of approaching. Officials say that such unusual street visitors have nothing to do with holiday fatigue.

Puma sightings cause alerts in Lower Silesia forests

Peclaw commune officials issued strong warnings after reports of a large cat-like animal, probably a puma, moving through woods between Droglowice and Wojszyn. Thermal imaging footage reached authorities, though species identification remains uncertain without clearer evidence.

Local police advise residents to avoid forest areas until the situation resolves and to refrain from personal searches. Anyone who spots the predator must retreat immediately and report details to the District Crisis Management Centre. Speculation links this event to earlier puma incidents elsewhere, but confirmation awaits further verification.

Emu survives forest ordeal after fireworks scare

Garwolin forest district staff rescued a male emu named Fabis following his escape from a nearby property. Fireworks frightened the bird into fleeing over three kilometres into dense woodland near Huta Garwolinska. A hiker first recorded the ostrich-like creature on a nature trail, but it bolted when approached.

Search teams located Fabis the next day after he endured a cold night exposed in unfamiliar surroundings. Tired and hungry, the emu finally permitted close contact and returned safely to his owner. Forestry workers used the event to encourage greater care with fireworks around animals.

These back-to-back episodes go to show ongoing problems with exotic pet keeping and farm management in Poland. Public cooperation remains essential for quick resolutions and animal welfare. Officials across affected areas continue monitoring developments while appealing for calm vigilance from communities.

Other recent escapes of exotic, non-native animals in Poland include the following:

• Emu (Fabiś): Escaped in the Garwolin area (central Poland) in January 2026 after fireworks scared it; found in a forest and safely returned.
• Puma: Captured in July 2026 near Koszalin (West Pomerania) after wandering near residential areas; origin likely private captivity.
• Baby kangaroo: Escaped from a corn maze in Lopuszka Mala (Podkarpacie region) in mid-2026; reward offered for information.
• Kangaroos/wallabies: Multiple individuals, including a snow-white wallaby, escaped from a private farm in Jastrzebie Zdroj (Silesian Voivodeship) in 2026 and appeared on city streets.
• Capybaras: Two escaped from a private zoo in Gdansk in 2025.
• Bactrian camel: Escaped from a mini zoo in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 2024.
• Red panda: Escaped from Gdansk Zoo in 2023 for several hours.
• Serval (African wild cat): Escaped from captivity in a village; owners appealed for sightings in recent years.

These incidents often involve private farms, zoos, or pet owners, sparking public searches and safety appeals.