From Myth to Reality: Uncovering the Truth About Britain’s Big Cats

In the world of the strange and paranormal, it is very rare to get indisputable evidence that proves it’s existence, but on October 29, 1980, this is exactly what occurred, when one one of the mysterious big cats frequently sighted within the United Kingdom was not only captured, but captured alive.

Even though the United Kingdom has no native big cats, it has a long history of big cat sightings. While some places are well known for big cat sightings, such as Bodmin Moor, Exmoor, Dartmoor, and Cannock Chase, they have also been sighted in more populated locations such as Barnet, Cheltenham, and Sheffield. Glen Affric is a valley close to the village of Cannich, just 15 miles from Loch Ness, home to Scotland’s most famous cryptozoological resident, the Loch Ness Monster. In the late 1970s, Glen Affric was the location of a large number of big cat sightings, resulting not just in physical proof but the capture of a live specimen.

There had been sightings of large cats in the Scottish Highlands as far back as 1927, when it was said that a large lynx, nicknamed the “Tiger of the North,” was captured in a trap set by a farmer after losing a large number of sheep and goats in the mountainous areas of Inverness-Shire. While sporadic reports of a large cat were made throughout the years, it was in 1976 that these reports again made the news. Jessie Chisholm, a resident of Tomich, a small village approximately 30 from Inverness, reported seeing a large black cat on the edge of her property, and was the first of the new witnesses to come forward. In 1977, in Farr, just 10 miles south of Inverness, a man and his nephew reported seeing a lioness and two cubs, with a similar sighting the next day in nearby Culduthel. Over the next few years, Ms. Chisholm had several more sightings of what she described as several different big cats in the forested area around her property, with other witnesses also stating that they had seen or heard big cats in the area and farmers reporting livestock being killed by an unknown wild animal.

Police searched in vain for the elusive creature, even soliciting the help of big-game expert Eric Stephens, but with no success. Having had several encounters with a similar creature, including losing livestock to attacks and witnessing the creature stalking his Shetland ponies, Ms. Chisholm’s neighbour, farmer Donald “Ted” Noble, decided to take matters into his own hands. With the help of the senior inspector for the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and his neighbour, a trap was set. A large cage with a drop-down door and the remains of a butchered sheep hanging from the center was placed in a location that had previously been the site of a sighting, and within days, the trap was sprung.

On the morning of October 29, 1980, Ted went to check the trap and saw that it had been sprung, and inside was what seemed to be the creature that had been sighted in the area so many times but dismissed: a large cat. Upon examination, the creature was identified as a puma. The puma, which had been named Felicity, was transported to the nearby Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig for tests and examination. She was found to be overweight but otherwise in good health for her age, which was judged to be around 15 years old. However, there were some who cast doubt on the authenticity of the claims. Upon her arrival, tests were carried out, with some claiming that she had been roaming wild for less than 48 hours. During her time at the wildlife park, it was noted that she seemed extremely tame, even allowing her keepers to pick her up. She was particularly fond of having the area behind her ears rubbed and would only eat prepared food, such as rabbits that had been skinned. These doubts did not seem to affect Felicity’s popularity, and she became a popular attraction in her new home, where she lived happily until passing away peacefully in her sleep in January 1985.

While there is some cause to doubt that Felicity was, in fact, the elusive big cat that stalked the Scottish Highlands, more definitive proof came in the search for these elusive creatures in Cumbria, England. In the early 2020s, in a story very similar to that which occurred in the Scottish Highlands, a large cat-like creature was frequently sighted, and the deaths of livestock were being reported. Samples were taken from a sheep carcass and sent for analysis, and when the results were announced, they were shocking. Scientists found Panthera genus DNA in the specimen taken from the sheep carcass. This DNA is not found in any creatures native to the United Kingdom but is found in lions, leopards, tigers, jaguars, and snow leopards. Stating that it was most likely from a leopard, this was the first time scientific proof confirmed that large, non-native cats are roaming the UK.

Now that there is scientific proof that these creatures roam the UK countryside, we have to ask how they got there. To answer this question, we must go back to the 1960s and 70s. During this time, owning a big cat was a trend among the wealthy. In 1976, the government introduced the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, offering owners of such animals three choices:

1. Obtain a license and build suitable facilities for the animal’s safety and security.

2. Rehome the animal at a zoo or with an authorised individual.

3. Euthanise the animal.

Many animals were given to zoos or authorised individuals, but due to the inability to house them, many were euthanised. Surprisingly, releasing animals into the wild was not illegal until the law was updated in 1981, leading some owners to choose this option over euthanasia. This suggests the possibility of large cats living wild in the UK. With an abundance of available food (deer, rabbits, domestic cats, and dogs) and vast areas for them to remain undetected, this made it not only possible but potentially likely.

For some, scientific and physical proof is more than enough to prove the existence of these creatures, while for others, nothing short of seeing them paraded in front of their very eyes will be enough to convince them. Until then, big cats roaming wild in the UK will be filed alongside other cryptids such as the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, and Chupacabra.