Panther sightings revealed in police logs
Footage released by the police has revealed that giant black panthers have been seen roaming the UK.
Six newly published reports published by the Worcester News reveal that cats have been spotted in the county of Worcestershire, with numerous records revealing panther sightings in the backyards of homes.
A January 2025 report from the town of Bromsgrove said: “A panther in the garden, yellow glowing eyes.”
Another report from Worcester last June said the resident saw “a black panther in the backyard. Big Black cat. Big black thing.”
The last recording, from Wyre Forest on February 5, stated: “The black panther was not aggressive. I just looked and then turned left.”
The reports date back to 2024.
Author and podcaster Rick Minter told Worcester News: “Worcestershire is no different to other parts of England in having ongoing descriptions of big cats, described by surprised witnesses, mostly in low light and at dusk when these predators are more active.
“The cats described mostly resemble black leopards, but also tan pumas, and a small number of lynxes are also reported.”
The revelation about panthers in Worcestershire follows previous reports suggesting a town in the Scottish Highlands was being stalked by a similar creature.
Grantown-on-Spey is said to have become the epicenter of a new big cat mystery after John Kirk spotted a large black beast while driving into town with his wife on April 17 and went public with his claim by posting a report on Facebook.
John told the BBC: “We were going to pick up the grandchildren from a friend’s house. We came out of the roundabout, headed towards Grantown and headed towards the cemetery. “And something flashed along the road at great speed.
“And I thought, ‘It’s a cat.’ I turned to my wife and said: ‘Did you see anything there?’ He said: ‘Yes, but it wasn’t a deer. “He was like a cat.” “It was bigger than my collie. It would have been sitting about seven feet high, with a long tail. It was definitely a cat.”
John revealed that he was amazed by the reactions he received after going public with the sighting.
He said: “I put it on Facebook to see what kind of crack it might be and if anyone else had seen it. “And the response was absolutely incredible. “There are a lot of people around town who have seen this, and I personally know people who have seen it.”
Paul Macdonald set up the Scottish Big Cat Research Team in 2017 to investigate the sightings after seeing a big cat himself in the 1980s.
The group claims to have mapped 1,800 sightings dating back to 1947 and told the BBC that rumors of big cats running loose in the UK can be traced back decades, reaching a high point in the mid-1970s following the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which banned anyone from owning big cats without a proper licence, prompting many cat owners to release their animals to avoid being euthanised.
Paul explained: “Some of the old origin stories for private zoos and exotic species collections date back to the 19th century. This has never completely gone away when it comes to large estates and those with money and means. “But there was a flashpoint for this activity across the whole of the UK in 1976, and that was the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act…
“The law gave owners only two options – either buy the license and then ensure your animal is kept in a minimum size enclosure, which obviously comes at a significant cost.
“Or bring your animal and put it to bed. Many people have a third option, taking them somewhere green enough and letting them go.”
