“Big Cat” encounters are typically linked with the remote landscapes of Derbyshire, Cumbria or the Highlands, yet London witnessed 25 such reports within a mere five-year period.
Whilst lionesses of the sporting variety were witnessed by thousands celebrating along The Mall on Tuesday following their Euros triumph, between 2019 and last January, the Metropolitan Police fielded numerous calls from residents claiming to have spotted the genuine article.
Pumas, tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs and lynx were allegedly prowling the densely packed capital, according to various witnesses. Just one sighting, potentially a Savannah cat, received official confirmation, whilst others were classified as unverified or bogus, including instances where large stuffed toys were mistaken for real animals.
However, whilst many suspect callers are raising false alarms, it was merely 24 years ago that the “Beast of Barnet” was eventually captured, reports the Express.
From the late-1990s onwards, whispers of a big cat stalking north London circulated through local pubs and school playgrounds following numerous sightings that were dismissed as fabricated or mistaken.
Then a lynx was discovered in a residential garden in Cricklewood during May 2001, prompting the deployment of armed officers and zoo specialists. Following four hours, the female, subsequently christened Lara, was trapped in a stairwell of a residential block.
She was thought to have escaped or been released by an owner keeping her unlawfully and suffered from a fractured paw and malnutrition. After three years, she was relocated to France where she birthed numerous cubs before passing away in 2009.
As for recent sightings, the latest call in January reported a pair of baby tigers squabbling near London Zoo in Regent’s Park. However, due to the area’s bustling nature and lack of further calls, officers did not respond and the sighting remained unconfirmed.
In the previous year, a concerned neighbour reported a large tiger in the adjacent garden in Hammersmith and Fulham, but declined to knock on their door. It later turned out to be a plush toy.
In 2023, a lioness was allegedly spotted in Bromley but with no additional calls received, police did not respond.
That same year, a lynx was reported in a communal garden in Haringey but the caller was uncertain if it was just a large domestic cat, so again no response was made. Both sightings were listed as unconfirmed.
Among the remaining claimed sightings, another tiger was discovered to be a stuffed toy in Ealing, while a potential bobcat in a cage in Hillingdon turned out to be several rag doll cats. The only possibly confirmed incident occurred when a large cat, initially believed to be a cheetah, was found to be a crossbreed from a Savannah cat that was cornered but managed to escape in Hampstead Garden Suburb, in May 2020.
An RSPCA spokesperson stated: “While some sightings are genuine, they are very rare. If a member of the public believes they’ve spotted a big cat at large, they should contact the police. They can also get in touch with their local authority which is responsible for zoo licensing and Dangerous Wild Animals Act licensing, as the animal may have escaped from premises that hold these types of authorisations.”
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