Panther spotted ‘stalking sheep’ in Wales
A wild black panther has reportedly been spotted stalking sheep in North Wales.
A tourist staying in the village of Llan Ffestiniog in the heart of Snowdonia National Park reported seeing a large black cat harassing livestock at dusk on the evening of 18 April 2026. The holidaymaker insisted the creature had a distinctive long tail and was skulking around the edge of the field.
The woman told Puma Watch North Wales: “It was dusk and I was drying my hair looking out the window of our Air BnB cottage at a sheep field opposite with a flock of baby lambs in it.
“I noticed a big black cat with a very long tail at the edge of the field. The sheep it was afraid of ran away quickly. I couldn’t take a photo because it was moving towards the field from me.”
This sighting comes four years after a number of previous sightings of big cats were reported around Snowdonia National Park.
In 2022, three hikers claimed to have seen a mysterious beast prowling the area, while another discovered what they believed to be a “huge” claw mark.
In July of the same year, another walker, Stephanie Robinson, spotted a large “brown or tawny big cat” while climbing the Pyg Way on her way up Mount Snowdon to catch the sunrise.
Stephanie reported the sighting to Puma Watch North Wales and said: “Walking up Snowdon with only a flashlight, I heard a loud, aggressive growl coming from a cave/sheltered area.
“I stayed quiet and turned off my headlamp because I didn’t want to attract the attention of the wild animal lying in front of me.”
The Llan Ffestiniog sighting is the latest in a series of big cat reports from Wales this year.
In May, a family of three reportedly spotted a wild panther while hiking on Mount Halkyn in Wales. The witness, identified only as Mark, went for a walk with his partner and daughter near the quarry on Mount Halkyn when they spotted a huge cat resting in the sun about 200 meters away from them and were convinced it was too big to be a domestic cat.
A dog walker was also horrified when he spotted what appeared to be a wild panther at a beauty spot in Wales the same month.
The man, identified only as Shaun, claimed he encountered the massive black beast while walking his dog near the entrance to the Dagger Trail at Pen y Pigyn in Corwen at around 5.45am on May 15, 2026.
