Big Cat Seen in Dartmoor National Park

England has long had a fascination for large black cats—panthers—that are seen on occasion in the countryside. Wildlife experts claim they don’t exist. But a hiker is adamant he spotted a big cat roaming on Dartmoor National Park, in southern Devon, England—and says he has the picture to prove it. Jon, from Devon, aged in his 30s, doesn’t want to give his full name over online trolling fears. But he is sure he caught a glimpse of a wild beast on a recent trip with his family. The family was walking to Fernworthy Reservoir on August 27 when they encountered the suspected big cat. Jon initially spotted what he believed to be a stray dog. However, after watching the mystery animal move, he realized it more closely resembled a large cat.

Jon said: “Whatever it was, my concern was that I didn’t want it to come towards us. When I first saw it, I stopped straight away and told my family ‘Don’t panic and stay where you are. I think there’s a big cat or dog up ahead.’s

“It just felt a bit surreal and quite strange that my first thought was ‘big cat.’ I managed to get my phone out and got a picture just in my hand before it walked along a bit and ran into the woods. It had a huge tail, which must have been a meter long with some white on the end.”

After noticing the nearby family, he says the creature walked further up the path and over the brow of the hill, before stopping with just its head visible. The family decided to turn around and walk to nearby Grey Wethers stone circle—but had to head back into the forest at a different point to get there. And on the way the Jon claims they made the morbid discovery of a half-eaten deer carcass next to the path. Then, while walking back to the car, the man claims they heard ‘roaring’ in the distance. (devonlive.com, 1 Sept 2023)