Seaford 'big cat' update

Someone emailed with an update on the Seaford 'big cat':

http://kentbigcats.blogspot.com/2012/02/seaford-big-cat-update.html

Lynx seen at Brighton

A Mr Austin reported that whilst driving up Ditchling Road and the vicinity of Friar Road/Surrenden Rd, at 10:00 am, with his wife, a large "rabbit-coloured" cat sped across the road at tremendous speed and disappeared into a garden. The animal, which was only ten-feet away, headed north. The witness did not see a long tail one would associate with a puma and believed he'd seen a lynx.

"Big cat walked into our front room"!

The above statement was made by a Gemma Sherlow-Gray on Monday, 6th Feb's Meridian Tonight, after she claimed that a big black cat, the size of a labrador, and with green eyes, had strolled into her front room. The alleged incident took place at Seaford. and if true, could involve the same animal which was observed recently at Ovingdean, and other parts of Brighton and back towards Alfriston. A neighbour of the witness, named Alan Chandler, reported that large paw prints had been found in the snow near the houses, and may well have belonged to an animal that had come from the Seaford Head area. This report echoes a recent encounter at Ovingdean where a male witness claimed his small dog was being eyed up by a black leopard as it stared through his patio doors. A few years ago a man in London claimed that one night whilst feeling unwell, he opened his door in his Nunhead property, and was shocked when a big black cat strolled in. Such encounters seem highly unlikely, but the witnesses seem adamant that the animals they are encountering are 'big cats'.

South Chailey black leopard

A female dog trainer has reported a sighting of a black leopard on a rural pathway at South Chailey. The woman saw the cat on Friday 27th January 2012 at 2:30 pm and stated that although it was some distance away it was clearly not a domestic cat or dog. The animal casually strolled along a track, stopped to stretch then sauntered off. When the woman had finished her lesson she went to the spot and found large paw prints.
Over the last decade there have been numerous reports of a melanistic leopard in the area, the same cat is possibly the animal seen at Polegate, Brighton, Uckfield etc.
Many reports from the county of Sussex are currently being collated for a new book, MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: SUSSEX. Watch this space.

The 'beast' of Essex ? It's almost as laughable as the 'beast' of Sussex!

Visit KENT BIG CAT RESEARCH for more info.

Lynx sighting in West Sussex

For many decades, the lynx, which was once native to Britain, has still been sighted across the south-east. This elusive cat, known for its tufted ears, and short tail, was believed to have died out a few thousand years ago, although some researchers believe it may well have existed in the UK until more recent.

At the beginning of June a sighting took place in Chichester of an animal larger than a fox and covered in black spots. The witness observed the cat in a back garden and stated it was a lynx. This sighting is currently being investigated.

"We live on the banks of the Cuckmere river just next to Alfriston, a few miles from Polegate, and as I drove across a bridge over the Cuckmere just near our house earlier this year, coming towards me on the road and caught in the headlights was what looked like a very large black cat – to me it looked elegant, sleek and somewhat puma like. I slowed down as I neared it, and it snuck under a railing and went into the undergrowth by the river. Of course I guess it could have been a black dog, such as a black Labrador, as it was about the same size as a lab, but it certainly looked much more cat like than that. I remember its eyes in the headlights being very reflective, and I think they reflected green, though its a while ago now and I cant be sure that I've remembered that correctly – but we have two dogs, and I remember thinking that the eyes didn’t look anything like our dogs eyes when reflected in lights.



We have about twelve acres of fields or thereabouts, with some six hundred years of river frontage, the frontage being all very overgrown as it is not grazed or cut at all and therefore providing good undisturbed cover for animals... hence the probable mink and stoats that I’ve seen, and the otter that someone fishing on our river bank early one morning believes that they saw. Whether a big cat passes by from time to time, who knows, but it could be possible, and there are some signs of a large predator of some sort having been here on more than one occasion. The nearest sheep to us are probably a mile or so away – but on a couple of occasions we have had what I think were large chunks of sheep vertebra (18in to two feet sections) and a sheep’s pelvis left in the field, so whatever brought them there must have carried them quite some distance. No doubt it could have been a fox, as there are vast numbers of fox and rabbits in the area, but whatever it was would have to have been quite sizeable to have carried such a large chunk of sheep, and somehow to me it just didn’t feel like the sort of thing a fox would have done, especially with so many rabbits in the area!"