They were reported to be black with a ‘long, thick tail’ and ‘pointy ears’
Two visitors reported a suspected panther between the villages of Llanfechell and Llanfairynghornwy in north Anglesey(Image: Getty/Google)
Holidaymakers got more than they bargained for when they spotted something odd in the Anglesey countryside. In a farm field in the north of the island they saw a large black cat with a “very long and thick tail”.
It was later reported to Puma Watch North Wales in the belief a suspected panther was roaming on farmland between Llanfechell and Llanfairynghornwy. Driving in a convoy of two cars, one occupant from each vehicle independently spotted the mystery animal on the evening of Friday, October 24.
The sighting follows another report of a large black cat “stalking sheep” near Holyhead’s Premier Inn in July. As is often the case, solid evidence wasn’t obtained and the sightings contradict expert opinion.
Reporting the latest incident to Puma Watch was a visitor called Joe. He said: “I was returning from a nice day in the east of Anglesey with a group of friends, back towards our hotel in Llangefni, and I spotted a large black cat in a field beside the road.
“We weren’t traveling fast so I got a good look at him: much larger than a domestic cat, it looked to be as big as a Labrador-Retriever dog – only with a very long and thick tail.
“I got a good view of the side of the animal for a few seconds including of its head as it looked towards the car. Unfortunately, neither of the other guys in our car saw it – they were chatting in the front seat and I was in the back!
“Thankfully however, when we got back to the hotel my other friend, who was traveling in a separate car, had also seen the very large cat at the same location.” Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community
A large black cat reportedly like a puma was seen ‘stalking sheep’ near Holyhead’s Premier Inn(Image: Google)
Big cats are not native to the UK but Puma Watch said some have been living in the wild since the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 made it illegal to keep them as pets without a licence. This led to owners releasing their animals into the countryside to avoid expensive rehoming costs, it said.
The most recent big cat report was in a rural area of north Anglesey characterised by farmland and scattered woodland. In a straight line, it’s less than eight miles from July’s sighting on the outskirts of Holyhead. If it’s the same animal, it would have needed to cross a bridge or causeway to have travelled from Holy Island.
Making the July report near the Premier Inn was Jo. She said: “We were driving past and spotted the cat stalking sheep it went behind a bush.
“We looped back but couldn’t see it. My husband spotted it first, then I saw it. It was large, black with pointy ears.” Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter – sent every Friday
Fields around Holyhead are teeming with rabbits and sheep and would provide ample hunting opportunities for a big cat, said Puma Watch. It added: “This is not the first reported sighting in the area, with a ‘black panther’ being spotted just down the road in Trearddur Bay last year.”
The online reporting service said big cats such as panthers and pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles. In the past five years, it’s gathered eight sightings from Anglesey.
Puma Watch added: “They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia (Eryri) and the Clwydian hills. But reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent.”
Plenty of people remain unconvinced an apex predator is on the loose on Anglesey. Following the latest reported sighting, one man said online: “That’s what 90% of people say when they see a domestic cat in an unexpected place.”
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