At the path of Scotland’s mysterious giant cats

It’s virtually 45 years since a large cat local to the Americas used to be captured within the Scottish Highlands.

The feminine puma – later nicknamed Felicity – used to be stuck by means of a farmer annoyed by means of a sequence of savage assaults on farm animals.

He set a entice the usage of a cage baited with a sheep’s head.

However used to be the puma in point of fact responsible for the killings or an unwitting player in an elaborate hoax, and why did giant cat sightings proceed after she used to be stuck?

Mendacity sprawled in a tumbler show cupboard in Inverness Museum and Artwork Gallery is the preserved frame of Felicity.

Again in 1980, when very a lot alive, she used to be top suspect for sheep assaults in and round Cannich, a group at the fringes of Glen Affric’s huge house of hills, lochs and forest.

Journalist Iain MacDonald used to be a reporter for the BBC on the time.

“All of it started a few years prior to with tales of giant cats – folks have been seeing them, and sheep and different animals have been being discovered it seems that torn aside, their bones smashed,” he recollects.

Iain says some folks have been sceptical of the stories whilst others satisfied there used to be one thing available in the market.

He says: “It used to be just a little just like the Loch Ness Monster.

“You could or would possibly now not consider in it.”

Iain says native police have been “to a point”.

Then phrase got here {that a} farmer, Ted Noble, had trapped a large cat.

Mr Noble had misplaced farm animals to assaults himself and reported seeing a big cat stalking his Shetland ponies.

The media descended on Ted’s farm.

“It used to be a circus,” says Iain.

“There used to be this deficient beast in a cage snarling and hissing at everyone and a crowd of reporters, photographers and cameramen all milling round.

“It used to be slightly extraordinary.”

No longer everybody believed Felicity used to be in the back of the assaults.

There have been a couple of pink flags.

Mavens described her as aged, tame and obese. She additionally had arthritis.

Some prompt she used to be a puppy both deserted – and even used to hoax Mr Noble.

Felicity used to be taken into the care of the Highland Natural world Park close to Aviemore.

Iain interviewed the park’s proprietor, Eddie Orbell.

“Eddie stated ‘this beast hasn’t been within the wild part an hour. It is been fed and smartly sorted’,” says Iain.

“He solid really extensive doubt she can have been haunting the Highlands for years.”

Iain heard tales from the park of Felicity behaving like a family moggy.

“It allowed folks to scratch it in the back of its ears and there is a tale one of the most keepers would stroll across the park with Felicity draped round his shoulders,” he says.

Felicity lived out the remainder of her days on the park. She died in 1985.

After the Felicity’s seize reported sighting of giant cats persevered virtually unabated.

“We nonetheless frequently get recent sightings,” says Paul Macdonald of Scottish Large Cat Analysis.

The challenge has a community of 80 volunteers and has amassed greater than 1,600 giant cat sightings going again to 1947.

Lately those encounters incorporated:

• October 2018 – Stories of a giant black cat in east Ayrshire. A police helicopter performed a seek, however Scottish SPCA stated photos taken by means of the general public confirmed a big home cat
• August 2010 – Police warn of news of giant cats in Easter Ross and Sutherland. A “very massive, muscular black cat with a sq. head” noticed close to Tain
• July 2010 – Police say a black cat the “measurement of a German shepherd canine” observed in woods at Inshriach, Kincraig
• December 2008 – A lady stories she used to be attacked by means of a big cat whilst hanging out her packing containers in Alness, Easter Ross
• October 2005 – Fife Constabulary placed on display a solid of a giant paw print with the intention to determine a cat-like creature dubbed the Beast of Balbirinie

Paul, a Scottish Borders-based sword-maker who grew up in Lochaber, helped to arrange the gang in 2019.

He has been fascinated about Scotland’s mysterious cats since his personal sighting within the past due Nineteen Eighties.

Paul says he and a chum have been travelling by means of educate close to Glenfinnan once they noticed what he describes as a melanistic leopard, sometimes called a black panther.

He says: “It used to be about 4 to 5ft lengthy in frame, had a protracted tail and muscular rolling shoulders because it slowly slinked away.”

Paul believes most of the giant cats have been pets dumped after the creation of 1976’s Bad Wild Animals Act.

“Other folks used to have them of their residences,” he says.

The regulation calls for folks to shop for a licence and stay the animals in suitable sized enclosures.

Paul says: “I feel there have been more than one free up occasions by means of house owners whose different choice used to be to have the cats destroyed.

“A bootleg business in unique animals since then have added to these releases.”

Scotland’s nature company NatureScot advises on non-native mammals within the wild and has data on its web page about how you can record abnormal species.

A spokesperson stated: “Whilst we obtain one or two sightings of giant cats a yr, not one of the stories submitted during the last 34 years have supplied enough proof to conclude that gigantic cats have been provide.

“The ultimate verified sighting of a giant cat within the wild in Scotland used to be in 1980.”