A £5,000 reward has been offered for the capture of a "big cat" which has been terrorising a farming community. The so-called "Beast of Burford" has been spotted prowling near farms and has killed several sheep in west Oxfordshire, according to farmers. Foxbury farmer Colin Dawes told the BBC he saw the "large black cat" running away after killing three of his sheep. Cotswold Wildlife Park has now offered to pay £5,000 to anyone who can capture the creature alive. Mr Dawes told the BBC News website said: "The sheep were killed with the typical big cat hunting technique. "It grabs them by the throat, strangles them and then rips out their throat before taking away the front shoulder." He said his neighbour saw the big cat on the Westwell to Burford Road two weeks ago. Pc Ray Hamilton, wildlife crime officer at Thames Valley Police, admitted there had been several sightings - but said this was not unusual. "We've had sightings of everything you could imagine - pink flamingos, lions, dingos, wolves and even a giant ant-eater in Pangbourne. "I keep an open mind, I have to, but I do think people mis-identify things. "Something is killing sheep. I don't know what that is, but there is a possibility there's something out there, an animal that shouldn't be there, but I don't have any proof."
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