This is the dramatic picture which provides the strongest evidence yet that another puma-like cat is on the prowl in Northern Ireland - this time in the heart of the Co Down countryside. The picture (left), which appears to show a large black puma-like cat prowling in a field, was taken by a Dublin-based doctor who described the animal as "bigger than a collie". He snapped the amazing footage close to Slieve Bearnagh in the Mourne Mountains in July. Dr Brendan O'Donnell, who spotted the feline with his wife, said: "It was unbelievable. It was completely different to a domestic cat in the way it moved, which to me was like a hunter. "The long tail, which can be seen in the picture, was incredibly distinctive. "It was one of the most distinctive features and proved to me that it couldn't be a domestic cat." Following the interest stirred by sightings of two big cats currently roaming the north Antrim coast and the sighting of a lynx-like creature in Sion Mills, the USPCA's chief executive Stephen Philpot revealed earlier this year: "We have four big cats on the loose in Northern Ireland that we have had regular reports on over the years."

This new evidence that a large black cat is roaming close to the Mourne Mountains comes as the two wild animals still at loose in north Antrim continue to evade capture.Phone calls continue to be made to police on a daily basis detailing sightings of the sandy-coloured puma and what is thought to be a black panther.

View: Full Article | Source: Belfast Telegraph