Following reports of a black panther and a lynx prowling the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire border, a group in the county have reported several sightings of the big cats on the prowl.
The Evesham and Villages Big Cat Group has 513 members and is growing as people share their experiences of sightings in the county after Martin Burford revealed two of his own close encounters.
Members also shared other evidence of big cats, including prey carcasses and footprints.
Those who have seen the big cats in person argue that fear of not being believed may be what prevents more witnesses from speaking openly about sightings.
Even experts have not ruled out the possibility that the big cats roam the more remote parts of the county, including the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. They simply say that more conclusive evidence still needs to be found.
A spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) also said farmers were keeping an “open mind”.
However, he says more evidence would need to be made public before their existence in rural Britain, including here in Worcestershire, would be accepted.
One of the founders of the Evesham and Villages Big Cats Group on Facebook, Mandy Acres, has lived in Evesham all her life.
The 37-year-old said: “The reason I set up the group was because I had a sighting in August 2013. Although I didn’t report the sighting at the time, I wasn’t afraid of being discredited, but I didn’t want any harm to come to the animal by telling everyone where I saw it.
“Over the past few years I’ve seen intermittent stories about sightings and my sister Beckie Gurney, who is also an administrator of the group, had a friend who had seen large footprints and a deer carcass.
“So after that I put the group together.”
Her sighting happened in August 2013 at 6.40am as she was travelling between Offenham and Badsey via Aldingto
Mrs Acres said: “I walked this route at pretty much the same time every day that week, so I knew there were no animals in the fields I passed.
“One morning as I was walking along this road, I saw something black to my right.
“I immediately thought, ‘Oh, the farmer put a black sheep in the field,’ then the animal turned and started running away from me, which made me think, ‘Someone’s black dog is loose!’
“It wasn’t until my car got within 20 meters of the animal that I realized it was 1000 percent a big black cat.
“The gait was that of a cat, not a dog. It was about the size of a German Shepherd Dog, the head and ears were smaller in comparison to the body, but the tail was thick, as long as the body and in a fixed, curved position, which made me realize immediately: “My God, it’s a big cat!”
“Within seconds, he was gone. That sideways image is etched in my head and I’m sure I know what I saw.
“The visibility was excellent and, being August, it was clear when I saw it. I immediately called my mother to tell her what I saw, she said ‘don’t be silly!’
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“My husband said he believed me, but he still couldn’t understand the whole thing.
“So the next day I went back to the area and managed to speak to a farmer. He told me that his neighbor had seen a big cat on the other side of his land, but he hadn’t seen it.
“While talking to the farmer, I was very surprised to see many rabbits running around and also to see deer running in the said field on a different day. There is a stream nearby, so there is water and food, as well as shelter and dense bushes.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that they exist, have probably adapted to the UK climate, have available prey and stay out of sight except when they are spotted, which seems to be at least once a month.”
