They see him here, they see him there but, unfortunately, they never have a camera to prove it. All that could be about to change, however, with plans to once and for all capture the legendary ‘Beast of Blairadam’ on camera. The Beast, described as a big black cat, has been spotted several times over the years at the Kelty forest but its existence has never been proved. But now the group Big Cats in Britain (BCIB) want to set up a webcam near the woods to try and spot the monster as it prowls around its territory. And they are appealing to anybody in the area who can provide them with a safe place to locate their camera. Between 2000 and 2006, there were 42 sightings of big cats in the Kingdom. Mark Fraser, founder of BCIB, said Fife is one of the busiest places for big cat sightings and he has heard many reports of the Kelty cat over the years. “Fife is the biggest hotspot in the whole of Scotland,” he said. “It has always been the biggest place in the country for big cat sightings. “We would definitely be interested in putting a webcam up there (Blairadam forest).” The camera would provide a live feed to the internet, so West Fife ‘beast spotters’ could log on at any time to see if that cat has made an appearance. Anybody wanting to offer their land would need an internet connection and an outside power supply. “We would need to have it in a secure location. When we have put them up in other places, they tend to get stolen,” explained Mark. The Press reported in 2005 of Carnegie Harriers runner Iain Taylor’s experience with the Beast. He was out in the forest setting up markers for a race when the cat ran across the track about 20 metres away from his car.

“I couldn’t believe it, at the time I remember thinking, ‘gosh - all these stories about big cats are true’,” he said of his near-cat experience. “The following day, when I was taking the course down, there were what looked like cat prints embedded in the snow.” Colin Seddon, manager at Middlebank wildlife centre, said he had never heard of any big cat sightings during his time there, despite some false alarms.

View: Full Article | Source: Dunfermline Press

I hope they never find the ‘Beast of Blairadam’.
Hunting it down, put in captivity, dissecting it.
Science will never rest until it's dessimated nature.
Extreme unforseen repercussions will follow.

near-cat experience??

I had one of those today... luckily I lived through it *rawr*

It seems pretty likely that it's an escaped zoo animal from somewhere... no dissecting necessary.

I'm interested in this whole "alien big cats" situation. I know there are also some reported cases in the United States, and I sincerely believe I may have seen one myself once. It was a little far away, so I can't in complete honesty say that I'm certain it wasn't a dog or something, but it looked much more like a cat, moved like one, was very large, and black.

I've come eye to eye with a big black one in my neck of the woods before. I got quite close to it before I realised it wasn't what i thought it was (German Shepard type shape, sitting up facing me) It wasn't exactly what i was expecting to see and I was clapping at it to come to me thinking it was a lost dog, then the penny dropped... I reported my sighting to the Scottish Big Cats people and found out that there'd been quite a few reported sightings in the area.

One theory is they could have been released or escaped into the wild before/when the dangerous wild animals act came into force.

I'm sorry I just don't understand, I find it easy to believe if there are big cats in the forest, if people have seen them then they are most likey there.

I completley agree. Just look whats happened to the tigers and the leapords.

Glad I'm not the only one who found that line amusing.

I think the thing is that they are not known to inhabit these areas, and that the sightings are somehwat rare.