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'I know what I saw' - Scotland's history of big cat sightings

'I know what I saw' - Scotland's history of big cat sightings

Summary

People in Scotland have reported seeing big cats that do not normally live there, such as black panthers and black leopards. A volunteer group called the Scottish Big Cat Research Team has recorded many such sightings and studies their history in the area.

Key Facts

  • John Kirk and his wife saw a big cat near Grantown-on-Spey in April 2024 that looked like a black panther.
  • John Kirk also saw a black panther about 25 years ago in the Cairngorms area.
  • Several other people recently reported seeing big cats around Grantown-on-Spey.
  • The Scottish Big Cat Research Team was started by Paul Macdonald in 2017 to collect reports and protect these animals.
  • Paul Macdonald had a close sighting of a black leopard in the 1980s.
  • The team has documented about 1,800 sightings of big cats in Scotland, going back to 1947.
  • These big cats are not native to Britain, so they may have been released or escaped pets or exotic animals.
  • The sightings cover different parts of Scotland, including Midlothian, Peeblesshire, and the Borders.
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