Convenient that Ray Mears says there are large cats in the UK and the Daily Star (not the most credible source) comes up with this story. Before commenting the story:
The Daily Star
Man 'attacked by a leopard' walking in English countryside and beast left claw marks
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES:
One bloke says he was looking at a deer through a hedge in the Surrey Hills when he was set upon by a leopard adding: 'I know it sounds mad but I also know what a leopard looks like'
A man claims
he was savaged by a leopard - in leafy
He was walking in the Surrey Hills when he spotted a deer through a hedge and took some snaps. A light-coloured creature “with dark spots” then leapt at the hoofed animal before jumping onto him and clawing away, he claims. It comes as TV icon Ray Mears says big cats are ARE roaming the UK.
The bloke, who wishes to remain nameless, said: “I’m embarrassed to even be talking about it because I know it sounds mad. I know people will think I’m crazy. But I also know what a leopard looks like. This wasn’t a dog or a cat. It was a leopard - with its dark spots and all. That’s a fact.”
He added:
“The deer screeched and leapt through the hedge towards me - and I realised
there was a large animal latched onto its back and side.
“They knocked me over and the deer fled but the thing landed on me and started clawing at my neck and shoulder. I went to push it away with my right hand and that’s when I realised it was a huge cat.
I sort of hit it and it ran off, and I was left lying there, dazed.”
He has been left with claw marks on his face, neck, right arm, knee, and shoulder, as well as a sprained ankle. He said: “I was so completely shocked. I just couldn’t believe it. I don’t think it meant to attack me. It was hunting the deer - and I was in the way.”
And it’s not the first time a suspected big cat has been
spotted in
Local resident Gary Ridley runs the website Surrey Panther
Watch - which invites people to log their sightings in the hope he can
"conclusively prove that big cats are living wild in
He has compiled dossiers recording hundreds of sightings
across the county and previously told the BBC he is convinced five big cats are
in the wild within a 10-mile radius of
Mr Ridley, a builder, told the broadcaster: "Since the
1960s,
"I'm absolutely convinced they are here in
Reports of big cats in
He said: "I did think, 'Should I go to hospital?' But I thought I'd be asked about what happened and people would think I'm a nutter.
"They'd laugh at me. I haven't told anyone as I don't want my reputation to be marred. People would just think I drunk too much that day or watched too many nature programmes. But I know what I saw."
Now comes my own personal view. Originally, I said fake based on the fact that there has never been a proven case of a large cat living wild in the UK attacking a person. There have been hisses and ears back when cornered but never an attack -the only fatal attacks have been by a cage leopard that was being mistreated or at circuses. Two previous alleged attacks by leopards that left claw marks were proven to be (1) self inflicted for publicity and financial gain and (2) faked with a press photographer "touching up mild scratches to look bad -this was widely known at the time. In 1 and 2 big mistakes were made which revealed them to be non-animal made. We do not release these factors for obvious reasons.
Next, the police has no record of anyone reporting being attacked by a large cat and if such an attack had taken place they would have been responsible for the finding and taking out of such an animal. I have discussed this with many police forces, chief constables and even the Home Office over the decades to try to develop procedures. If you were attacked by a leopard in the Surrey countryside either you or your family would report it to the police.
Another thing you would need based on the description of the wounds is medical attention. Again, and you have to wait for sniggering to stop but hospitals treating such wounds are obliged to contact the police. No one has treated a "leopard attack victim" in Surrey.
The injuries shown are scabbed over and at the least a month old (at the very least) and clean so the scratches were treated. The following are from a rare case of a big cat: a male leopard that had escaped from its unlocked cage attacked a 26-year-old male zoo worker. The report states:
"A 26-year-old male was found dead in the wee hours of the
morning in a leopard cage in the African feline pavilion in
a zoo
that specializes in breeding African fauna. The man was
employed in the zoo as a feline caretaker. During the
investigation,
it was discovered that the man entered the opened area of
the leopard pavilion immediately before the feline’s regular
feeding
time, without checking if the animal was properly enclosed
or if the area of the pavilion was safe. The man was
attacked on
the neck immediately after he entered the pavilion by a male
Persian leopard. The man died while being transported to the
hospital as a result of the injuries sustained. The
investigation
also showed that the leopard escaped from the closed inner
part
of
the pavilion through an unlocked and
unsecured connecting
corridor."
Above from Petr Hejna,1 M.D. A Fatal Leopard Attack Journal of Forensic Sciences · February 2010
Now there are very noticeable similarities and it is also worth noting that the images have been brightened to make the injuries stand out. There are strong indications that these photographs did not originate from the UK but are from India but to positively identify the survivor of the attack an image of the person's face is required and despite face injuries being described -and these could be photographed without revealing the persons identity- none are shown.
Everything from the account of the attack and the wounds claimed and no police or medical report all seem to indicate that this is a fabricated story using images from a genuine cat attack but not in the UK.
I am quite willing to talk to the man involved here if I am wrong.
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