Walkers claim to have spotted Beast Of Cumbria – a wild panther notorious for ripping the heads off sheep
Creature witnessed in Lake District field described as 'very feline' with 'long, black tail'
A PAIR of walkers claim to have spotted a black panther infamous for ripping the heads off sheep – known as The Beast of Cumbria.
Husband and wife Liz and Stuart Wild were enjoying a stroll in the Lake District when they came across the creature.
The couple made the discovery near the hamlet of Little Langdale.
Liz, 54, explained: "There were some sheep in the field and one of my friends said: 'Look at that dog'.
"But it was very feline and very, very big. You know how a cat stalks? It was like that. It was jet black and walking slowly."
Her husband, from Worcester, added: "It had a big, black long tail.
"It looked exactly like the pictures of black panthers I found when I searched online."
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Unfortunately, the couple did not have time to get their binoculars or camera out to get a better look at the creature, which Mrs Wild said was around 75 yards away from them.
She added: "It's the first time anything like that has happened.
"We were all quite surprised to see it.
"We had a big, dry stone wall in front of us, but I would have tried to get a closer look given the chance."
He described seeing a “black cat with a long thick tail” as he stood with his wife near the edge of a lake.
He said: "I just shouted that there was a large black cat – my partner thought I had seen a ghost!
"We had gone to the water's edge near the remains and went to exit the rear gate. It was just as we exited the gate that I saw it.
“I saw this large black cat with a long thick tail. Not a domesticated animal, it was way too large.'
Jason, a regular visitor to the Lake District, said the animal was being followed by a larger deer, possibly the mother of the one the beast was hunting.
Past spottings of Big Cats in Cumbria
In 2013, mum-of-four Sharon Larkin, 41, found a distinctive paw print, its size markedly bigger than that of a cat or even a large dog.
Sharon, who runs a Facebook group 'Big Cats In Cumbria', believes her investigations have brought her face to face with the monster five times.
Sharon said: "It is definitely a leopard or black panther. It's about the same size as a large Alsatian or Labrador dog.
"The first thing I noticed was its yellow eyes, piercing yellow, and a long tail that it was swishing around.
"It's not ridiculous and people need to wake up to the fact these animals are in the UK."
Eyewitness and gun shop owner Adrian Brown, 50, claims the beast may have had babies, adding: "I saw a mother with two cubs. I couldn't believe it. It's obviously breeding."
He added: "It was fast. It was not a dog, it was definitely some kind of panther.
"I am quite a laid back person. To see something like that on an average Saturday in Ambleside is quite unusual."
Local farmers are adamant there are actually a family of panthers who are decapitating their sheep – as panther teeth, footprints and a mother and her young all been seen.
Days later holidaying midwife Claire Greensmith spotted a 'big, black panther-like creature' while hiking at the famous English beauty spot.
Last March a Freedom of Information request revealed that Cumbria Police had received a staggering 40 sightings of the big cat since 2003.
Danny Bamping, from the British Big Cat Society, said he treats reports of large cats living wild in remote countryside across the UK “very seriously”.
Mr Bamping, of Plymouth, Devon, attributes the Beast of Cumbria to the availability of big cats for sale as pets in stores like Harrods in London until the mid 1970s, and also to US aircrews as far back as World War Two.
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