Big cat spotted near Grasmere (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Big cat spotted near Grasmere

4:20pm Saturday 27th September 2008 in News By Lizzie Anderson

THE existence of a large, non-native cat in the South Lakes remains a hot topic in the region, with another sighting and mysterious paw prints providing further clues.

While driving between Rydal and Grasmere on the A591 earlier this week, Alex Leach from Shipley in West Yorkshire, got a bit of shock when he saw what he describes as a “large black cat” about three or four times the size of a normal cat.

Mr Leach, who was enjoying a walking holiday in the Lake District at the time, described how he saw the creature running along the side of the fell about 25 yards away from his vehicle.

“It was totally black and it was running in the same direction I was travelling in,” he said. “It was not a huge great cat like a tiger or anything, but it was definitely bigger than a domestic cat.”

Meanwhile, recent reports in The Westmorland Gazette of similar big cat sightings in the region prompted Windermere resident Sandra Metcalf to come forward with some intriguing plaster casts.

The casts, which were made around five years ago, are of animal tracks found at Haggend Farm near Crook.

Ms Metcalfe strongly believes that the tracks were made by a non-native creature.

For the full story see The Westmorland Gazette.