Creatures, Myths & Legends

Mystery black creature caught on camera in Wales

By T.K. Randall
October 16, 2021

Image: Leaf Forest (illustrative)
Credit: Den Vish / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Is there a population of exotic big cats roaming the wilds of the British Isles ? Some experts think that there is, and this latest piece of footage is being hailed as potential evidence of it.

Filmed in woodland near Ruthin in North Wales, the short black-and-white clip was recorded back in August by a trail camera that had been set up to film deer and badgers.

While the anomalous creature isn't particularly easy to make out, it does make a brief appearance in the top left of the frame at the beginning of the video before walking towards the left and out of sight.

At a glance, it certainly does appear to resemble a large black cat - possibly a panther.The clip quickly gained attention after it was submitted to Puma Watch North Wales - a group that dedicates its efforts to documenting and investigating sightings of exotic big cats in the area.

"Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles," said group founder Tony Jones. "They're mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent."

There has in fact been an increase in the number of potential sightings of such creatures in recent months, especially in the area of North Wales in which this footage was recorded.

Often referred to as the alien big cat (ABC) phenomenon, the most likely explanation is that the animals have either escaped from zoos or have been illegally released by private owners.

Exactly how many of them are still out there however remains unclear.


Source: North Wales Pioneer

Tags: Panther, Alien Big Cat