Nature & Environment

DNA test confirms presence of an exotic big cat in British countryside

By T.K. Randall
May 20, 2024

Image: DNA Methylation
Credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Reports of large predatory cats such as panthers have persisted across the UK for years.

While it has long been suspected that a population of these animals has been roaming the British countryside, conclusive evidence of their existence there has remained stubbornly thin on the ground.

Now, though, new evidence analyzed by Prof Robin Allaby at the University of Warwick would seem to offer confirmation that there really is at least one large predatory cat loose in the UK.

The sample in question was taken from a sheep carcass after a woman unexpectedly disturbed a large animal that had been feeding on it back in October."I assumed at first it was a sheepdog, but then I did a double take and realized it was a black cat," she said. "It was big - the size of a German shepherd dog."

The subsequent DNA analysis has since suggested that the culprit was in fact a leopard.

"It makes me a convert [to the existence of exotic big cats in the UK]," said Prof Allaby.

"Until now, I have remained open-minded, I think that's my job as a scientist."

Exactly how many of these cats there are in the country, however, remains unclear.

Source: Discover Wildlife

Tags: Big Cat