BIG CAT'S TRACKS; Base cop captures footage of creature next to railway line.Byline: Cordelia O'Neill A POLICEMAN captured dramatic video footage of a big cat prowling prowl v. prowled, prowl·ing, prowls v.tr. To roam through stealthily, as in search of prey or plunder: prowled the alleys of the city after dark. v.intr. close to a naval base A naval base primarily for support of the forces afloat, contiguous to a port or anchorage, consisting of activities or facilities for which the Navy has operating responsibilities, together with interior lines of communications and the minimum surrounding area necessary for local . Dog handler Chris Swallow, who is based at Faslane on the Clyde, saw a large black cat on a railway line. He initially believed he was looking at a Labrador crossing the tracks from a friend's garden in the Churchill Estate in Helensburgh. But on closer inspection he became convinced he had seen one of the mysterious big cats that reportedly roam the UK. Chris, who was left stunned by the sighting, said: "The animal wasn't moving the way I expected a dog to. It was then I realised that what I was seeing was a big cat. "I ran to my car to grab my mobile phone for a picture. "I stood on the nearby rail bridge in Winston Road and got a still photo and a couple of minutes of footage of the animal moving up the rail line. "It was remarkable. I've heard stories about creatures like this moving about the countryside but never really believed them before. "Looking back at the video I don't think there's any doubt that it's a big cat." Shaun Stevens, a researcher for Big Cats In Britain, which investigates animals roaming the countryside,said the animal in Chris's photographs is "certainly not a domestic cat". He added the area "appears to be a favourite haunt" of big cats, with the group hearing of about 30 reported sightings in the area every year. Shaun said: "I have a working theory that some of these cats may be a hybrid species or possibly a new species of cat. "Knowing that the width of the rail tracks Rail tracks are used on railways (or railroads), which, together with railroad switches (or points), guide trains without the need for steering. Tracks consist of two parallel steel rails, which are laid upon sleepers (or cross ties) that are embedded in ballast to form the in Chris's video is four feet, eight inches, the animal is clearly in excess of four feet. "Initial impressions are very exciting, as I think this could be one of the best pieces of footage of a big cat in the UK." In 2004, there were several reports of a large tan-coloured creature in the woods and hills of Loch Long This article is about the loch in Argyll and Bute. There is also another Loch Long (Highlands) in Kintail, adjacent to Eilean Donan Castle and Loch Duich. Loch Long (Loch Long in Gaelic) is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. in Portincaple, Whistlefield, in 2004. John Belshaw, HM Naval Base Clyde's pest control pest control n → control m de plagas pest control n → lutte f contre les nuisibles pest control pest n officer, said he was contacted by police in 2007 about the sightings. He added: "They asked me what I thought about the stories of big cats in the area and then told me they had seen one cross the road in front of them during the night. "I have had a look at Chris's footage and have to say that I do not believe it is a domestic cat or a dog. "At one point it seems to walk on the railway line and a dog wouldn't have had the balance to do this. "You can tell from the size of the track that it is much larger than a house cat." Injured The naval base animal is just the latest in a long line of sightings of big cats in the UK. Last week, we told how a horse was mauled by what was thought to be a puma near Sundrum Holiday Park in Coylton, Ayrshire. The animal was badly injured and a vet concluded that the injuries were caused by a wild animal. Most big cat sightings are though to have been panthers, with a handful assumed to be the lynx. They have been accredited to a range of sources, from escaped zoo and circus animals to a mass release in the 1970s after the enforcement of the Dangerous Wild Animals dangerous wild animals animals that may be specified by local legislation as requiring a license if they are to be kept by a private person and outside circuses or zoos, which are legislated for separately. Act. CAPTION(S): ON THE PROWL: Chris's image of the big cat, which could be a panther STUNNED: Chris filmed cat |
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