According to a wildlife specialist, a dogwalker’s sighting of a “large cat-like creature” in a UK beauty spot may have been related to the summer drought.
Hempsted resident Patsy Toleman observed the “huge cat” while walking her dog.
She initially believed it was a black Labrador until she noticed its “pointed ears.”
Mrs. Toleman made the observation at a brook on Gloucestershire’s Robinswood Hill.
Wildlife expert Frank Turnbridge speculated that the “cat” was in quest of water.
He noted that because of drought conditions, animal behavior must change.
By Hannah Mcdonald Within Mailonline
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According to a wildlife specialist, a sighting of a “large cat” at a UK beauty spot may be related to drought.
Patsy Toleman of Hempsted, Gloucester, observed the “big-cat-like thing” while walking her dog in the early morning near a creek.
Mrs. Toleman at first mistook it for a black Labrador, but then realized it had “pointed ears” before it vanished “in a flash.”
According to 74-year-old wildlife specialist Frank Turnbridge, the animal may have been searching for water due to the drought, and there were more sightings of large cats in the region during the lockdown.
Patsy Toleman, of Hempsted, Gloucester, observed a “big-cat-like creature” while walking her dog in the early morning near a creek (file photo)
He also claimed that the animal could be a “itinerant hybrid” – a descendant of captive pumas and leopards that were freed and discarded in the English countryside following the passage of the Dangerous Animals Act in 1976.
Mrs. Toleman was walking on Robinswood Hill, a country park adjacent to the M5 in Gloucestershire, when she spotted the animal.
According to Gloucestershire Live, she had been walking her dog on the lower path and was headed toward the stream since her dog enjoys paddling in the water.
Mrs. Toleman stated, “While strolling, I spotted what I believed to be a black Labrador approximately 120 yards away.” I searched for a proprietor but did not find one.
Then I observed the animal’s ears were pointy. It glanced at me for a moment before vanishing into the bushes and poppies.
She stated that she had known Mr. Turnbridge for many years, so she called him to inform him of what she had observed.
Mrs. Toleman at first mistook it for a black Labrador, but then realized it had “pointed ears” before it vanished “in a flash” (file photo)
Mrs. Toleman reported that Mr. Turnbridge told her ‘casually’ that there had been further big cat sightings in the region and that the animals “travel further in search of a water source when the temperature rises.”
Mr. Turnbridge of Podsmead, Gloucester, opined that it was probable that the cat was spotted by the stream because it was parched.
Now, as a result of drought conditions, animals must adjust its behavior accordingly.
It has been reported that deer are drinking from garden ponds and cow troughs as their regular, more remote water sources evaporate in the heat.
Mr. Turnbridge noted that animals spotted in the region had also been foraging for food in a manner comparable to that of urban foxes.