Expert says big cats on Chase for years
An expert who has advised police on the existence of big cats believes that black panthers and pumas are breeding on Cannock Chase and have been since the 1940's.
An expert who has advised police on the existence of big cats believes that black panthers and pumas are breeding on Cannock Chase and have been since the 1940's.
Terry Hooper, from the Exotic Animal Registry based in Bristol, has been studying evidence of big cats across the country for over 20 years and says Cannock Chase is one of the country's hotspots.
Mr Hooper has compiled numerous sightings of big cats on Cannock Chase and evidence of animal kills.
Earlier this month a huge paw print was discovered by plumber Kevin Goodson while walking his two labradors in Norton Canes.
It measured roughly five inches across the pad and is six inches long. The find came a fortnight after a deer kill prompted fears of a big cat stalking the Chase.
Steve Allatt, from Heath Hayes, was walking his dog on the open-cast mine in the village, near Cannock, when he saw a fawn in distress. The 54-year-old retired miner approached it to see what was wrong and discovered another fawn lying dead with two puncture holes in its neck. It had been dragged into a ditch.
Mr Hooper believed the black panther could have been responsible for the kill.
He said: "The way this animal has been killed is how a black panther would kill its prey by suffocation around the neck. Over the 20 years I have been logging sightings and studying evidence about big cats I have no doubt about the existence of them on Cannock Chase. There have been sightings of big cats for centuries. It was quite common for rich people to keep big cats. The Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in 1976 and big cats were released into the wild. Some owners have come forward and admitted that they did release them.
"But I think the panthers and pumas could have been breeding on Cannock Chase before this. There was a lot of sightings from the 1940's and I think they could have been breeding from this time."
He said big cats such as leopards and pumas have got large territories and often cover huge distances each day. He added: "The same animals which are on Cannock Chase could also be sighted in Shropshire. They could easily cover 30 miles in one day and will pass from county to county."
