(Metro, Page-3, 28 August 2002)
Pumas, black panthers and other big cats are living in the British countryside - and their numbers are on the increase.
The Britich Big Cats Society says sightings across the country have recently leapt, with more than 100 in the past 3 months, fuelling expectations for a record year.
Founder Daniel Bamping declined to estimate the number but said: 'Big cats in Britain are real. They are out there, they are breeding, and as a result, the number of territories are getting fewer.'
The society is about to release new evidence for the existence of the animals, which it says have escaped from captivity and bred in the wild.
It includes two photos of dead wildcats, paw prints, hair and sheep killed by savage predators.