British "Big Cats" - My Background of 40+ Years

A little background seems to be necessary.

I started looking at reports of "big cats" in the UK in 1977. In was a young naturalist and I thought I would earn some good points reputation-wise when I prove it all a hoax. By 1978 I had spoken to naturalists, zoologists and many otherpeople who were credible and 95% of all sightings were at a distance of 10 feet (3m) to 200 yards under good lighting conditions. 

I saw the tracks and I realised that the obbservers were not all loopy or seeing things. In the decades since the evidence has grown and that includes DNA, scat analysis and much more. In 1977/1978 at the suggestion of a zoologist I took on the role of acting as an exotic animals advisor to UK police forces from Scotland to Northern Ireland, England and Wales.

I have contributed to technical papers:

1. A Method For Grading Sightings Of Non-Native Cats: Application to South and West Wales, UK: Professor Alayne Street-Perrott, Alaric B. Smith Exotic Cat Group University of Wales Swansea and Terry Hooper-Scharf Exotic Animals Register.

Proceedings of the 2^nd Eastern Cougar Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia, 2004  

 

2. Exotic Cats In Britain: An Historical Perspective, Professor Alayne Street-Perrott, Alaric B. Smith Exotic Cat Group University of Wales Swansea and Terry Hooper-Scharf Exotic Animals Register, Proceedings of the 2^nd Eastern Cougar Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia, 2004  

 

3. (Contributor) Survey effort and Sighting Probabilities for Non-Native Cats in Carmarthenshire, Professor Alayne Street-Perrott, Alaric B. Smith Exotic Cat Group University of Wales Swansea, Swansea Geographer 2004  vol. 39

 

4. The Biography of Perceived Encounters with Pumas and Other Exotic Cats in South and West Wales, UK; Alayne Street-Perrott, Alaric B. Smith Exotic Cat Group University of Wales Swansea and Terry Hooper-Scharf Exotic Animals Register. 2004

 

5. Felids: Wildcats, Ferals and Hybrids, Terry Hooper-Scharf. Vale Wildlife Group, 2000

 

6. UK National Wolverine Population and Evidence, Terry Hooper-Scharf, Vale Wildlife Group, November 2000

 

7. The Red Paper: Foxes, Fox-Domestic Dog, Hybrids, Arctic Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Coyotes: An Extensive Study of Vulpes vulpes in the United Kingdom and Releases/Escapes of Non-Native Canids; Terry Hooper-Scharf.  Black Tower Books, 2011

 

8. The “Girt Dog” of Ennerdale: Hyena, Thylacine or Escaped Exotic Cat: A Naturalist’s Assessment of the Evidence. Terry Hooper-Scharf. Black Tower Books, 2018

 

Various other unlisted papers and articles 2000-2021.  I have cooperate with the National Farmers Union, Newquay Zoo, Swansea and other universities. farming colleges, veterinary schools as well as many others.

This work -including that to advise police forces- was all for free. Never one penny was paid out by anyone but myself. I attempted to avoid publicity as much as possible but even so guested on national, regional and local radio as well as in the newspapers (which called me in 1996: "Britain's Big Cat Detective" despite my protests).I have also contributed to publications on European wildcats and advised German police in "big cat" sightings as well as on wolves.

In over 4 decades I have studied kills put down to big cats as well as habits and habitats across the UK. Most of my contemporaries are now gone which makes me the most experienced naturalists dealing with the subject in the UK. A few newer people have appeared and most of them base their knowledge on the old EAR Bulletins and often misquote or deliberately get facts wrong.

Two things to note:

1) in over 40 years not one witness/observer has ever been named unless they have given out their name. Confidentiality of witnesses and maintaining that  is of great importance.

2) unlike some newer "Big Cat" people who really do not know the cats involved and hide their connections with hunting groups or persons out to kill the first "British Big Cat", I maintain absolute secrecy on locations and cat movements. This is to protect the witness, the animal involved as well as other animals as "hunters" have in the past shot sheep and other farm/domestic animals as "big cat"

The UK National CarnivoreAdvisory was set up to cover everything from foxes, badgers as well as introduced animals -canid or felid or even mustelid. It is the focal point for coordinating the British Fox Study (set up in 1976) and the EAR -for both there are public Face Book pages.

I can be personal message via the Face Book groupsor through email at blacktowercg@hotmail.com  in the strictest confidentiality.

The above is a very -VERY- brief piece of background information to reassure anyone who might have concerns that they need not worry.

Carmarthenshire "Big Cat Kills"

 Thank you for the messages.

I am aware of a case in Carmarthenshire where ponies have been killed and there is a lot of talk of "Big Cat kills".  I have read what was reported and seen some of the photographs and am still waiting for a response from the person who reported the incident.

At the moment I am suspicious about certain aspects but "big cat" (leopard or medium sized puma) is not top of my list of possible killers.

When I know more I shall report first on the EAR -Exotic Animals Register Face Book group.

A Public EAR Group

 Yes, I have taken the step of setting up a Face Book EAR group so that people can message me privately if necessary.

There are currently links to blog articles but, hopefully, some new material soon.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/372804871017547

No. No Big Cat Sightings In Germany. Probably!

 I have noted before how in the 1970s I and three family members saw a fully grown black leopard dead at the side of the motorway between Belgium and the Netherlands.

Germany has also, like France and Italy, had a good few panther and puma reports. Reminded of this while browsing through a file for 2004 in which a fella in Germany connected with the police there told me he doubted there were any free living largecats there....but no one had investigated or catalogued these reports. So, No....not sure!

I say this as a German police force contacted me privately over...a "big cat" sighting having had someone in a UK police force recommend me!

Second 10ft python found in Cambridgeshire country lane

 Sam Russell

Wed, 1 September 2021

A second 10ft python has been found in a country lane, with the RSPCA urging people to stay vigilant in case there are more.

The first snake was spotted in Conington in Cambridgeshire on Friday, with the second found yards away on Monday.

RSPCA Inspector Justin Stubbs had likened the first incident, where the “huge snake” was rescued from up a tree, to Disney film The Jungle Book.

The second snake was seen “crossing a quiet country lane”, the animal welfare charity said.

Mr Stubbs said: “Having rescued last Friday’s python, I couldn’t believe it when the call came through to say there had been another found in almost exactly the same spot.

“I’m afraid that’s no coincidence – it’s looking likely these poor animals were abandoned, or have escaped from the same place.

“This second snake was extremely cold when he was found, very much thinner than the first python, which is suffering from a minor health condition.

“Both snakes are now being looked after at a specialist facility and are under heat lamps to maintain a healthy body temperature.

“It is really concerning to think that someone has kept these pythons, then might have decided to abandon them in this cruel and callous way.

The RSPCA rescued a second 10ft python from a country lane in Conington, Cambridgeshire (RSPCA/PA)

“I only hope that there are no more on the loose out there.

“As well as the dangers of low temperatures, harvesting in the nearby fields could pose a real hazard to any snakes left out there.”

He is urging people in the area to stay vigilant “in case there are more vulnerable snakes found in the same spot”.

The RSPCA said the snakes are “unlikely to pose any danger to people” but recommended that anyone who sees an exotic snake should keep a safe distance.

The charity is asking anyone with information about the incident to call its appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

Porcupine alert issued by Cambridge firefighters after sighting in village

 

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned residents that a porcupine is on the loose.

The animal was spotted on the High Street in Harston, in the south of the county, by firefighters on Monday (August 2) morning, who had attended a fire call in nearby Foxton.

Officers from Cambridge Fire Station have also asked residents to be on the lookout.

In a tweet, they said: "Residents of Harston - while attending a fire call to Foxton this morning crews from Cambridge Fire Station noticed a Porcupine loose on the High Street in Harston please keep a look out."

In a retweet, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters did a double take when they saw this porcupine on the loose in Harston last night'"

Porcupines are large rodents that are native to North America, Africa and Asia.

Like hedgehogs - only much bigger -they have a coats of sharp spines, or quills.

While they are generally passive if left alone, they can use their sharp quills in self defence.

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Hopefully the owner is traced before DEFRA sends out another hit team.

Is It A Puma? Is It A Panther? No.....

 I recently identified one South West England "mystery beast" for a museum as a Bushtail possum.

https://exoticanimalsregister.blogspot.com/2021/06/animal-unknown-photograph.html?fbclid=IwAR28ljR8uKbZeBmcQS_P0mQQhKqYb0t8cOmE68kMW74qIFgwTyleL2hAZSw

Possums are held as pets in the UK so that explains that and I have no doubt that there are far more excapes than we know of.

Then I had this forwarded to me and I knew what it was straight away...

I honestly could make nothing out until I enlarged and cleaned the image but that tail told its...tale so to speak.

I had thought this was a civet. Basically I have spent two months solidly working on getting officials to take unexplained fox deaths seriously, looking into Old Fox types and wolverine reports and my eyes and brain were shot. At the very outset my little voice was shouting in my head that this was a small cat but for some reason I was ignoring that voice.

The wheelie bins next to the wall and the wall itself were "off" and I knew it but was blocking that info out. At around 0400hrs (my eyes were bleary so was the clock face ( 😃) I suddenly swore. I checked the photo again and realised that the wall was either made of the tiniest bricks ever or something was going on. It is why the animal in question is not in focus. The photo gives the impression that the bin is against the wall which it is not. The animal....well...it is nowhere near a big cat in size.

As I reached my conclusion I looked up to see a neighbour's cat on the fence, shorter tail, but "re-enacting" the photo for me. This is a domestic cat but whether a hybrid from the exotic domestic breeders I have no idea.

Was this photo deliberately sent to hoax? Who knows. I am now told that there is a video clip and photos showing the cat standing but the "big cat" group in question do not seem to want to respond or allow me to become a member...hmm.

So not a "big cat" (there is only one member of that family in the UK) but a small animal that many 'big game hunters' like to shoot and pose with (stood or sat well back so it looks like they have killed something the size of a leopard rather than something the size of a house cat).

If you have a photo of an unusual animal you have seen please get in contact at blacktowercg@hotmail.com

THANKS to Hayley deRonde for the discussion on this photo.