Is this the pawprint of a vicious giant wild cat on the loose in rural England? Locals fear vicious beast is at large after find near spot where dog walkers saw ‘hybrid jaguar’
- Paw print the size of a human foot seen just outside Thornbury, Gloucestershire
- Residents are speculating over what mysterious animal could be and its origin
- Police say an expert has now been drafted in to try to track down the ‘big cat’
- Experts believe there could be as many as 500 big cats roaming around Britain
Residents in a rural village fear a ‘big cat’ is on the loose after a suspected ‘paw print’ the size of a human foot was discovered in the area.
It was spotted close to where dog walkers reported being followed by a ‘hybrid jaguar’ while out walking in Gloucestershire in September.
Locals now fear the area is being stalked by a giant feline as experts are drafted in to investigate the latest finding.
It’s feared a ‘big cat’ is on the loose after this ‘paw print’ the size of a human foot was discovered just outside Thornbury, Gloucestershire
The picture was taken just outside Thornbury, a few miles from the scary sighting in the village of Oldbury-on-Severn.
A women’s size five boot was used for scale in the image – indicating that the print must have been left by a sizeable species.
Residents have now started forming theories over what the mysterious animal could be – and where it could have come from.
One said: ‘I was once told the circus had an incident many many moons ago and some cats escaped locally.’
This map shows the various sightings of ‘big cats’ reported by a number of people in the Gloucestershire area
But sceptics say the giant ‘paw print’ may be innocent and could just have easily been left behind by a muddy trainer.
However, animal carcasses with tooth imprints on their bones that could only be made by a non-native species have been previously identified – fuelling speculation.
Gloucestershire Police launched a big cat investigation in June after a sheep and a lamb were found stripped to the bone near the village of South Cerney.
The carcass was discovered by a stunned dog walker – and came in the wake of several reported sightings of a large feline.
Sheep’s head and spine was found in June in nearby South Cerney, prompting big cat panic
This ‘labrador-sized’ cat was spotted outside the Fox Inn pub in Broadwell in ther Cotswolds in April
Reports then emerged in September of a man being followed by a big cat near Oldbury-on-Severn while out walking his French bulldog with his partner.
Local Andrew Selwood, 54, said: ‘It walked behind us about 100 yards back for a little while.
‘I don’t know if it maybe was thinking that it was going to get one of the dogs thinking that they were food, and thought better of it.
‘From what I could tell it was a hybrid jaguar. I know what I saw and cannot say anymore than that.’
Police are said to have since drafted in an expert to try and track down the ‘big cat’ – with fears it could be the return of the ‘Beast of Broadwell’.
Villages in the Cotswolds have been stalked by the large feline for years, with several reported sightings.
Experts believe there could be as many as 500 big cats in Britain, which help to keep the population of deer and other large mammals in check.
Big cats are able to cover more than a dozen miles a day, making their territories huge.