Britain's Big Cat Conspiracy

[@iceetmarne3571]

Ashens sent me!

[@Sparrow9612]

Same!

[@Digitiser]

He is the best boy. Welcome!

[@mellissam3296]

Same!!!

[@Digitiser]

Welcome, Melissa!

[@ObiWanShinobi85]

Same

[@MrPixiepantz]

In 2011 a white tiger was spotted locally at Hedge End. Several members of the public reported seeing it in a field, one had zoomed in with his camera and described it as "threatening". A police officer was dispatched and confirmed that there was indeed a tiger lurking in the grass. More officers were dispatched and Marwell zoo was contacted to arrange a tranquiliser option rather than destroying it. Then observers noticed it hadn't moved much...and that it didn’t seem to have a heat signature on the air support cameras. When the tiger rolled over in the helicopter down draught it became obvious that it was just a stuffed life size toy.

[@Digitiser]

Brilliant.

[@davidhopley2661]

I remember that 🤣

[@gazpal]

@MrPixiepantz officers should've gone to Specsavers lol

[@BigCatsUK]

I got the DNA from the Lake District sheep. I have photos and video of the carcass and when you see it you can tell a big cat had killed it, 10 mins later I saw the black leopard skulking away! A day I will never forget.

[@Digitiser]

Oh brilliant! Good work on that. We'll have to get you on next time we cover big cats.

[@beaubo7373]

And promptly went to the newspapers

[@BigCatsUK]

@beaubo7373 haha 😄 they took the report from the Facebook page it's for all to see 🤣👍🤦‍♀️

[@beaubo7373]

@BigCatsUK yes.....very unfortunate

[@S.Trades]

That's crazy! 😮😮😮

[@ljsquirrel]

Being Lincolnshire born and bred I can tell you with absolute certainty that what you heard was the infamous Lincolnshire Hairy Growler. Very rare to see in this day and age, there were thousands of sightings in the 1970s, but to see one in recent times has become very rare after the illegal import of the Brazilian variety. Also....fantastic video :)

[@Digitiser]

Crikey!!

[@user-os7ec4dm8x]

Are you sure it wasn't the famous Lincolnshire hairy ballbag? I've encountered one a couple of times, and they are quite frightening!

[@thejacal2704]

I miss Hairy Growlers, though I have seen a fair few 'documentaries' about them.

[@ObiWanShinobi85]

Hairy growler lol is this bo selecta

[@scottneil1187]

I've seen a big cat a couple of times where I used to live. We used to see it quite regularly, went 'hunting' it, found coarse, thick black hairs on a barb wire fence under which there were huge pawprints, we smashed an old TV in a farmers dump and we're met with a pretty damn terrifying growl from a nearby bush, was most definitely a feline sound. We'd regularly find sheep carcasses stripped to the bone too. A friend of my grandad, when out walking, encountered it passing him on a road, he said it seemed friendly, he stopped to let it walk past, it rubbed against him and he ran his hand along it's back, he claimed it purred like it enjoyed it. Saw it climbing a local hill and sunning itself on a rock across a small river, it watched us with curiosity, never felt like it was dangerous. This was in Scotland, in a small West coast village called Dunlop. This was the late 80's in case you ask about photos, didn't have a camera on hand like these days.

[@Digitiser]

Don't worry - I didn't get the one I saw on camera either, and that was in the late-90s. So many people saying they've seen them...

[@JulieSimmonds-z2j]

@scottneil1187 puma can actually get pretty tame, if reared from cubs.

[@danwhitehead6228]

Oooh! I actually have seen a large cat in the wild. Driving home from my Dad's one Christmas about 20 years ago, around Werneth Low near Hyde. It was dark, countryside on both sides of the road, and suddenly in the headlights, running across the road about twenty feet in front of us, was a large black cat. Rounded tail, snub nose, short ears, much bigger than any large domestic dog. My sister's boyfriend at the time was in the passenger seat and after it had gone we both said "Was that a panther?" Truly one of the weirdest things I'd ever seen.

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

I had a close encounter July 1984 on the moors near Sheffield with a large black panther. Between Hyde and Sheffield is a lot of desolate grazing land.

[@Digitiser]

Scary how many of you are saying you've seen one.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

They definitely seem to be out there! If I ever saw one, I would like it to be from the safety of a car.

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

@@Digitiser 40 years ago but still remember it like yesterday. Awful feeling being stalked by a great black beast.

[@copyrightfreemusic-redeyef5893]

I just put my comment on then read this one! I has similar experience. Its weird isnt it, sort of makes you go.. ok so now I kinda believe they exist but no one is gonna believe ive seen one!

[@SE7ENFX]

Came from Ashens. Had to subscribe. Absolutely hilarious! 😂

[@Digitiser]

Hurrah! Welcome, welcome...!

[@stevemayandleilaroehead870]

Me too :)

[@Digitiser]

@@stevemayandleilaroehead870 Hello!

[@PedroBenolielBonito]

'We're not here to bathe a leopard!'

[@Digitiser]

#nofoamingofleopards

[@oldhedders]

"WE'RE NOT HERE TO BATHE A LEOPARD" absolutely sent me

[@Digitiser]

We weren't!

[@Fisthammet]

Farmboy here. During the 90's and 00's me and my cousin regularly found the remains of whole dead lambs/calves around the bases of trees in several copses that break up some of the larger fields around us. Pretty normal place for foxes to drag bits so it's not really too unusual to find something in that sort of places, just odd for whole skeletons to be deeper into them. About the same time I had both a retired farm dog and a German shepherd. I'd occasionally walk them on a path adjacent to a hedgerow about 2 or 3 fields away from my house, and maybe about 2 fields away from one copse where we found several of the dead lambs and a calf. From my house I'd also watched mine and other peoples dogs walked along that same path. One day, I stood in my garden and watched something big and black walk along said path. It only really caught my attention because of the way it walked, more like a cat than a dog. I will still solo stargaze/set up for a birdwatch in some of the same areas at like 2-3AM and it's hard not to occasionally chuckle to myself about stuff like this 😅

[@Digitiser]

It's the whole skeletons thing that's eerie.

[@trenchardjj]

Depending on how tall Jonathan Downes is, (12 ft tall etc.) he might have a tiger loose in his home, about which he is blisfully ignorant.

[@Digitiser]

He's 2ft 3inches.

[@richardlyth]

I saw a big black cat once - it was just on a normal suburban street, so logically it must have been just a normal house cat, but I could swear it looked two or three times bigger than any others I've seen before or since. It was before the days of camera phones, otherwise I would definitely have tried to record it. So I've been a believer ever since.

[@Digitiser]

Yeah, when I saw my one on the IoW it was pre-phone cameras too.

[@Zobbster]

Proper epic video, this one. Well done Biffo & Sanja!

[@Digitiser]

Ta, mister!

[@littleowl22778]

Love how your reply gets English translated into Yes, sir! 😂

[@Digitiser]

@@littleowl22778 Haaaaa!

[@royharpershat8059]

An old driving instructor of mine said he saw a mountain lion type cat running across a road in East Lothian one night. He was an ex policeman and he wasn't on a wind up either...

[@Digitiser]

Yeah, lots of convincing stories. Including mine!

[@daviddorson5111]

A friend of mine in the Lincs/Rutland border is convinced she has seen a big cat in a wooded area.

[@Digitiser]

Lincs seems to be a hotzone!

[@Riverman2012]

There were a few signs up in a farmers field near Barrowden, Rutland a couple of years ago, asking for any information about his sheep being mutilated by some kind of creature. I'd say your friend might have seen the culprit!

[@cymrodave]

What a video, a new drop from you guys is always a massive treat. Also poor action man, he has such ptsd he didn’t realise he had a spider running over him😟.

[@Digitiser]

You're the second person to mention this!!! I'm genuinely freaked out now.

[@grantm902]

"Teletext personality-turned-KZbinr hunts for big cats, armed with catnip and cat repellent". This is why I love this channel and, indeed, this nation.

[@Digitiser]

Glad we're making you proud to be British!

[@BrentTheGent1]

Seeing as you asked, i do have a story to tell. It was 2009 and i was going through a bad time in my marriage and so after a day of arguing i decided to pack a bag and tent and i had a walk up the golf course on the North of the city where i live far NE Scotland and i decided on a spot around 2 miles up the beach to camp. I had only been asleep a short time and it was starting to get light when i was woken by a noise up in the dunes. I got a bit of a scare when i heard whatever it was jump down the 20 foot drop and land not far from my tent. I lay very still while this thing slowly walked right around my tent sniffing and i thought it might be a dog so i popped the side of the tent and shouted " bugger off " and this thing growled like a bob cat and took off up the dunes again. I got out the tent and there were pug marks right round the tent that were large but in soft sand so hard to tell the size. Also, as i grew up my friends father was a local game keeper and he told us that he had seen large black cats and others over the years and that would have been the 70's and 80's.

[@Digitiser]

So many stories like this. It's fascinating.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

That sounds freaky! At least it listened to you lol!

[@hannahbul]

I live in the far, far north and my most sceptical pal has seen a big cat when he was young man when out camping with a friend. Clear as day, he says, it hopped onto a large fence post and then carried on its merry way. There's so much farmland, wild deer, vast landscapes where it is rare to see a person... I can believe big cats can live up here.

[@Digitiser]

@@hannahbul Yep. I mean, there's plenty of wildlife out there that we never see.

[@jeffreybarton1297]

I reckon Beanis has been eaten by the Panther. I believe in the Big Cat phenomenon. Many years ago my Nephew was driving home, in Southwick, in Somerset. Just before he hot home he had to stop his car, as a large Black Cat was crossing the road. The Cat was large enough from head to the end of the tail to cover the entire half of the road that the car was on, so around 8 or 9 feet maybe. Certainly bigger than any domestic Cat.

[@Digitiser]

Beanus only eats. He cannot be eaten.

[@mc_cpu]

I've seen a wallaby bouncing down a Milton Keynes residential road early one morning. Apparently they escaped from a wildlife park in the 60s and now have a wild population.

[@Digitiser]

Yes! The wallabies are real! We'll do a video on them at some point.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

Oh wow, that's wild! I heard that there are loads of wallabies in Derbyshire and the Isle of Man too! I'd definitely love to go on the search for some!! 🦘

[@CJJC]

Happy Hal*MEOW*een

[@steve1]

I have seen 2 big cats in west Oxfordshire, one on what is now Clarksons Farm which ran across a field and jumped over a wall and one on a back road between Enstone and Banbury which quickly disappeared into a small wood.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

Nice!! Which cats did you see? 🐆

[@Digitiser]

Crikey. It's insane how many people have seen them.

[@steve1]

@@lasanja_interdimensional they were both big and black so probably leopards / panthas, we have a not very reputable animal training company that worked with the film industry near here and I have always assumed that was where they came from.

[@Digitiser]

With so many coming into the country, it's inevitable some would get out and not always be reported.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

@ Ooh fascinating! Apparently 80% of the sighting in the UK are of black panthers!

[@glyn5385]

I was camping in mid wales with friends, one morning we went for a wander, turned a corner into a field and saw a freeshly shredded sheep, i mean it was ripped apart, my friends and I looked at each other, immediately got back to back and slowly walked out the field back to camp whilst continuously looking all over and purposefully being noisey to possibly scare anything thay may have been near. I have never seen anything like what we saw, It had recognisable claw marks on the carcass, it was 1997 so we didnt have a camphone at the time or id have took snaps/video of it

[@Digitiser]

So many examples of this.

[@wookieboss2643]

Iv seen a large puma chasing a rabbit on the side of a mountain in Donegal Ireland. It was running full speed whist remaining crouched to the ground . I was a passenger in a car so it was out of eyeshot behind some rocks within 5 seconds . i saw the flash of a rabbits white bum and a massive puma chasing it downhill to the rocks . rubbed my eyes out of disbelief as to what i just saw .

[@Digitiser]

Madness! They're out there...

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

They're everywhere!

[@ICommandLife]

What an incredible video, I absolutely love you both. Thank you for making this and bringing Beanus into my life 🤩😂✨💓

[@Digitiser]

You are very, very welcome! Sorry about Beanus.

[@bathbadgerking]

People who say there are no giant pussys in the UK are wrong. I've lived here all my life and I've seen several.

[@Digitiser]

Good lord.

[@bathbadgerking]

@@Digitiser It's a jungle out there

[@tmaul]

If I were a big cat I'd hide in the countryside. If I were a man dressed as a big cat I'd also hide in the countryside, especially if I was a spy.

[@copyrightfreemusic-redeyef5893]

Me and my mum used to travel in the morning from Lincoln to Sheffield for work. About 7.30am one morning we saw a large black cat slink across the road infront of the car and disappear into a hedgeline. This was just outside Bawtry. We both remember it vividly and I remember my mum slowing the car down as 1. Not to hit it and 2. Because we couldnt believe what we were seeing. It looked like a large black cat, about the size of a dog with a long curved tail and hunched shoulders. We must have got to about 10ft away from it as it went into the bushes. I remember checking and there were other sightings in the local newspaper from around this time. I think it was around 2008 or 2009.

[@Digitiser]

That's what happened to me in the IoW - there was no time to really do anything other than look at it in shock and awe!

[@bilkyasko]

I've never seen a mysterious cat, but I have seen a few non-mysterious foxes in my time. I think the point about cats being silent is an important one to consider; I've seen an owl at night, no more than about 10 feet away, flying off silently. I'm not sure they're easily confused with cats though, they tend not to fly.

[@Digitiser]

Yeah, we had a section where we talked about cats being stealthy - and also how they go somewhere private to die. It was getting a bit long though!

[@Digitiser]

Also, we get A LOT of foxes round our way.

[@garymcguire8529]

Many cats are black, this is a colour phase called melanistic, this colour is carried in the genes of many spotted cats, so a litter can have both normal spotted cubs and black melanistic cubs.

[@Digitiser]

Yes.

[@MarcNewitt]

I remember in the mid to late 90's numerous sightings of a big black cat happened around the village of Linton just outside of Cambridge. My friends had one walk out across the A1307 whilst on a drive back to Cambridge after playing in a football match. The Fens in Cambridgesire have also had a fair few sightings. Kudos for getting an interview with Dumbledore, who knew he was into big cats!!

[@Digitiser]

See?! They're real! Also, Jon really is the closest I've ever met to a genuine wizard.

[@chrisball3778]

Linton... the village with a privately run zoo? What a coincidence. I remember the spate of 'Fen Tiger' sightings. I thought it all seemed really silly until someone who worked at Wicken Fen nature reserve told me that several of them had seen what appeared to be a large cat, and that there was something behind it all.

[@MarcNewitt]

@chrisball3778 Yeah, it wasn't much of a zoo back in the 90's, used to go frequently around that time and never remembered any big cats at the time. I remember how awful it was, though.

[@chrisball3778]

@@MarcNewitt They definitely had a few big cats in the late 80's and early 90's, as my parents took me there several times around then. It didn't seem awful to me at the time, but I probably wasn't super-aware of animal welfare issues. I remember going there at about age 10 and being stupidly proud for successfully staring down a Lynx because they were an animal that was proverbially supposed to have an implacable stare. I was stupidly proud of myself when the bored cat walked to the other side of its cage and began licking its paws. think one of the owners lost a finger to a cat and wrote about it in the guide book, s they may not have had the best animal handling procedures.

[@Arganoid]

29:29 "This isn't really helping us capture a leopard"

[@Digitiser]

I mean, it wasn't...!

[@dpenuk]

Big cat needs a big bean for Halloween

[@AcornElectron]

Consistently consistent cat coverage containing comedy content. ❤

[@Digitiser]

Cheers, ears.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛

[@VirtuallyReality]

The Luton Cat is definitely a cat. A small one. Maybe a slightly bigger small one.

[@Digitiser]

Not even sure it was that big!

[@VirtuallyReality]

Maybe 0.05 Idi Amins?

[@alexeverett308]

The idea of a few big cats living in the UK dosen't seem at all far-fetched given the law change in the 70s and criminals letting them loose before they get caught today. The only thing I'm sceptical of is them being comfortable venturing into busy towns/cities and even public woodland. They say if you ever see a big cat, it saw you first so I feel like they would avoid people easily. I'm not sure I buy them sitting around busy train stations and fields next to motorways. As for the growl you heard, it depends how far away it was but it dosen't seem too unlikely in a patch of quiet(ish) woodland at dusk.

[@Digitiser]

Yeah, it was pretty close. That's why it was so scary. Utterly undeniable.

[@alexeverett308]

@@Digitiser After watching this KZbin recommended me Chasing Shadows, which is a documentary about trying to find big cats in the UK (you may have already seen it). Its a good documentary although ultimately inconclusive, but the comments are interesting too. Someone says he was out teaching his sons how to shoot a .22 calibre gun when they heard a growl nearby. Low, deep and the sort you could feel as well as hear. So I can believe you came close to one for a second, I think the reason they aren't well documented is because they're low in numbers and very good at hiding.

[@Psy1402]

Turok Dinosaur Hunter mentioned, Digi's back doing video game content! 🥳🥳🥳

[@Digitiser]

:-o

[@harrygreenfeld4964]

20:20 Proctalgia. A lot of people suffer it without realising. You can get inhalers to ease the pain but no one knows why it happens. There is an operation yiu can have where they cut a muscle in your bum but that can cause other problems. Anyone who suffers this (its like migraine in the butt, and the severity differs, for some it is literally criplling when it strikes) really shoukd talk to their doctor.

[@Digitiser]

That's the one! Hurts like heck, but passes quickly enough.

[@squarepegfb]

The only Halloween content I need.

[@Digitiser]

Huzzah!

[@Roadent1241]

Telling this story on mum's behalf, this was in '93-5 so no smart phones and no consistent cameras to hand, but she'd driven me to a daycare before it had opened, very early morning, and it was February and it had snowed. She insists there was a set of pawprints the size of her palm in the snow by the front door to the place. We had regular house cats, this was bigger than their prints. Always found that story fascinating.

[@Digitiser]

They're out there.

[@Roadent1241]

@Digitiser They definitely were at the time. Funny that they could pick up the scent of kids having been there.

[@CaptainSteveVPT]

Love the intro graphics and music.... every episode you take it up a notch !!... well done... Bedford looks beautiful where you are... nicely done... that's hard to capture in its self...lol

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, Steve-o!

[@Pencliff]

Forget about the panthers, I worry what havoc a loose Beanus in the British countryside could wreak

[@Digitiser]

Watch for the headlines...

[@Sleepysod]

Sydenham in London had a big cat spotting, all the kids at the local schools were told to avoid walking home alone. Police were at the school gates etc etc. A local DJ was scratched on the face and claimed it was the Beast of Sydenham. Turned out he’d had a drunken argument with his girlfriend and she scratched his face and he was too embarrassed to admit it 😂

[@Digitiser]

Hah!

[@humphrey4976]

I was chatting to a guy who worked for DEFRA and he said they had bodies of big cats in freezers.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

😮

[@Digitiser]

Crikey.

[@humphrey4976]

I was always sceptical, I live in Gloucestershire and a few of my friends are adamant they have seen them. The DEFRA guy said they have never found a body of one that was lactating so they don’t think they are breeding here so they aren’t bothered. I don’t know if you could put in a freedom of information request with DEFRA to find out more?

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

​@@humphrey4976They are breeding. Cubs have been seen on many occasions over the years.

[@curleex3838]

Not zoo escapees, these are born wild here which is why you wont see one, a zoo big cat is used to people so wouldn’t have any issues with crossing a big open field in broad daylight but a wild born one wouldn’t do that, they are stealthy and cautious 🥷

[@Pytchblend]

I saw a big black pantherish cat in Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey.

[@Digitiser]

Wales must surely have plenty.

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

Anglesey has had sightings for many years.

[@Will-kt5jk]

1:02:13 - are there boar in that area? They are living in certain areas in the UK and they do make growling noises.

[@Digitiser]

Not sure about Lincolnshire, but there are apparently about 2,500 boar living wild in the UK now. And, supposedly, because they escaped from captivity.

[@LeonLein82]

I hope it's a literal big cat and not just a rotund woman named Catherine

[@Digitiser]

Might've been a big cat called Catherine, but it was a cat. Probably.

[@JulieSimmonds-z2j]

Most sightings are only a few fleeting seconds and they are ALWAYS unexpected. That's a good reason why there are so few photographs. Most people are left in shock and surprise and watch in disbelief. There seem to be literally hundreds of alleged sightings every year. And most are probably not even recorded.

[@mariemccann5895]

There are no definitive photographs either contemporary or historic yet today millions of people carry cameras on their phone.

[@JulieSimmonds-z2j]

@mariemccann5895 OK, maybe take your misinformation elsewhere? You're clearly clueless.

[@mariemccann5895]

@@JulieSimmonds-z2j Superb and predictable response typical of your ilk.

[@PixelRatedGames]

Yassssssssss! I'm so happy to have this to look forward to watching later - I'm having a proper shiter of a week and you guys always cheer me up!

[@Digitiser]

Hope it makes your week better, PR.

[@PixelRatedGames]

@Digitiser thanks guys, you are lovely people.

[@Digitiser]

@@PixelRatedGames No, YOU are.

[@PixelRatedGames]

@@Digitiser hahaha.

[@PixelRatedGames]

I won't keep spamming this vid but I want to thank you both for this video, funny and informative and has legit cheered me up so much. I really hope you guys keep releasing content, they're just pure fun! All the best to both of you.

[@Skijumptoes]

We recently had sightings of Liz Truss in norfolk, she was seen feeding from a squirrels carcase.

[@sharkkebunni]

4:49 gosh that scared me, good one Also the fear takes over and you can't take a photo, only the doom and survival kick in, is my theory.

[@Digitiser]

It was pretty much that way when I saw one in the IoW, by the time our brains had processed what we were seeing it had gone.

[@sharkkebunni]

Also love Snowmobile Dundee too bad the big cat got him in the end.

[@Digitiser]

@@sharkkebunni He'd have preferred to go down fighting with a wild snowmobile.

[@BaBaBaBenny]

So, I've never personally seen a big cat, but I actually stumbled into the conspiracy in a similar way. My mate and I were out for a walk during the pandemic a couple years ago and were talking about the people who thought it was all a hoax etc. so as a joke I said we should try and spread another conspiracy to combat it and decided on the beast of bodmin moore. We got back to mine and did a bit of wikipedia and found an interesting entry about a boy who was playing out in the woods and found a jaguar skull in a stream. When scientists looked at it they determined the way the skull had been detached from the spine was a telltale sign that it was once part of a jaguar skin rug and WHATS more found the eggshell of a particular breed of cockroach that could only be found in the Amazon jungle in its eye socket. We all thought that sounded like a load of bollocks someone would make up to cover up that it was *in fact* a wild jaguar and I've been an (albeit sceptical) believer ever since.

[@Digitiser]

Weird! We heard similar kinds of stories in the course of researching this, about bodies being taken away etc.

[@Pomshka]

Not sure if it's mentioned because I'm still at the start of the video but there was a lady who owned illegal big cats, apparently she knew she had Cancer or similar and knew that when she died the cats would likely be euthanised. So she just let them go. When the police came to talk to her about rumours she just said "Cats? What big cats 🤷🏻‍♀️" She'd got rid of all the cages and such months earlier and by the time the police tried to charge her with whatever she'd already passed away.

[@Digitiser]

This sounds familiar. Think I read about this when researching the topic.

[@garymcguire8529]

I can remember back in 1971 or 1972 going to Harrods with my mum, and seeing lion cubs for sale there.

[@Digitiser]

Madness!

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

😮 - One thing I've found curious is that there seem to have been zero sightings of lions in the UK?

[@garymcguire8529]

@@lasanja_interdimensional I only went there once, but it was Harrods, so smaller exotics like a crocodile was there too.

[@gtametro]

Theres definitely big cats in Horncastle, you can hear them at night.

[@Digitiser]

Blimey. Is it remote?

[@thathurt]

From the wildlife park?

[@mikepatterson1]

Really enjoyed watching this video. Great to see the return of the characters too.

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, Mike! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@tylercale69]

Ashens' Halloween video sent me here. I enjoyed listening to this. Top tier!

[@Digitiser]

Cheers, Tyler!

[@tylercale69]

@@Digitiser No Problem! Thanks for the great video!

[@Digitiser]

@@tylercale69 You are very welcome!

[@backwards7]

Norman Lamb, as you correctly state, is not a real lamb. He is actually two lambs in a double-breasted suit.

[@Digitiser]

Hah! Helps them get into 18-rated films too.

[@trenchardjj]

You've done everything now, ghunts, chunts etc.

[@Swampberry]

A big honkin badger once chased my dog, bounding around while roaring and chuffing. It was amazing. So im guessing what you heard could be a badger chasing a big wild cat.

[@Digitiser]

Blimey. Maybe.

[@strongcoffee7]

Genuinely as a kid we found in a random wood/forest near Burnam on Sea in the early 90s some huge paw prints in soft mud and broken grasses/small trees/bracken etc that sent my gran into such a frenzy we needed to return to the caravan and were not to go into the woods again the entire holiday!

[@Digitiser]

And your gran didn't even take a photo of them?!!?

[@strongcoffee7]

@Digitiser I know right! Useless!

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

I wouldn’t have even left the caravan for the remainder of the trip! 😅

[@gazpal]

"The Mystery of The Luton Black Tabby" and "Boston Hairy Growlers" are infamous sightings made on Monday mornings by "Muchus Intoxicatedus Over Past Weekendus"

[@MichellePamelaLyons]

In South East London you have parakeets in the wild. They're known as the Kingston Parakeets / Twickenham Parakeets and I've seen them nesting in trees. It's understood that they're present because of a combination of that 1976 law, and Jimi Hendrix letting some of them loose for some reason, and other things: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_parakeets_in_Great_Britain Obviously parakeets are signfigantly smaller than big cats, but... I think I made a point? I was going for a point. Not sure now. Ah...

[@Digitiser]

We actually plan to do a video on the parakeets! We see them in our back garden.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

Ah yes, we have loads of parakeets around here too - especially in our local park. I actually saw a big flock of them flying overhead just yesterday afternoon!🦜

[@the_clone_ranger7730]

Loads of Parakeets in Kent 😊

[@chrisball3778]

They started out in London, and they're still most common in the South East, but they've spread all over the country now. They've been seen as far north as Scotland. Unfortunately the story about them being the result of Jimi Hendrix releasing them is an urban legend, as is the similar story that they escaped from the set of The African Queen- they were already loose before either of those. They aren't dangerous, so they wouldn't have been covered by the 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act anyway. there are feral populations of a number of exotic species in the UK, notably Wallabies.

[@the_clone_ranger7730]

@@chrisball3778 we were told it all began when a pair got free from the park up the road. 😆

[@zappybaloo]

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated in the big cats here in the U.K. and I 10000% believe they are out there somewhere

[@Digitiser]

Yep!

[@Creamtrumpet]

KZbin's answer to Mulder and Scully return (Biffo and Cougar?)! I genuinely think this is one of the best videos you've ever put together. It feels like all the Digi threads are finally being pulled together to form a really, really nice scarf, or maybe even a magnificent coat.

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, you. Yeah, we think it's one of our best too!

[@greeftish]

I'm totally traumatised. Seeing that bunny in Pets at Home facef**cking his mate has left me with PTSD.

[@Digitiser]

It was even worse in the flesh/fur.

[@kelvinc]

I’ve never felt so simultaneously angry and elated in my life than when you pulled the scaling item out of your bag.

[@Digitiser]

I'm sorry.

[@BeasBotBonanza]

Absolutely incredible video! Feels like a beautiful handshake between Digi's current adventures era and the characters from previous era's. Hopefully it works to bring the new viewers and older viewers together, new viewers can explore the older videos too now that they have been teased to check out the characters :P Great pacing, suspense, comedy and drama all mixed in perfectly. Absolutely loved this video!

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, you. We loved it too!

[@anthonywood7420]

I think if a leopard roaming the countryside shows itself to you, you won't have the time to take a photograph.

[@Digitiser]

This is a fair point.

[@Iris_Studios]

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the b b b b b e… villain. I was half expecting the camera to capture Biffo in a catwomen outfit 😂😂. Are you sure the growl you heard wasn’t dog….gers?

[@Digitiser]

You don't want to see me in a catwoman outfit.

[@alastairward2774]

My (teenage) daughter went to Pets at Home and came back with one of those boxes of crickets, with the intention of keeping them as pets.

[@Digitiser]

Hah! I tried to keep a slow worm as a pet when I was a kid, but my dad let it go.

[@JamieCurranthemagnificent-z7h]

I did a similar thing with a box that my freaind got to feed his tarantula, I thought they were adorable and these ones were all bright coloured one's, I put them all in a large terrarium, they're really relaxing to listen to at night when your going to sleep too!😂👍

[@BeasBotBonanza]

The only big cats in Belfast are the cougars frequenting the famous 'grab a granny' pub known as Benedicts 😅❤

[@Digitiser]

Crikey.

[@Digitiser]

There's also a Benedicts Cumberbatch pun in my head that I wouldn't dare make.

[@BeasBotBonanza]

@@Digitiser oh yes plenty of those lol

[@snackplaylove]

A lot of those photographed wild cats look like they were bought off Temu… Ed: we got an action cam for my in laws garden expecting it to just be little cats messing about. Full on badger parades some nights, and then young foxes messing around turning the lights on for a laugh. A lot more nature around than you expect.

[@Digitiser]

Never seen a live badger. Would love to. We get foxes in our garden all the time though.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

Oh wow, nice! I can't wait to put ours up in our garden and see what we capture!

[@AssignableJack]

A high Silliness Per Minute ratio here. You done good.

[@Digitiser]

Cheers, ears.

[@chrisbell7638]

This was completely glorious from start to finish. And so good to see the characters back - especially Tony Harris and Action Man. "...I don't understand the question"

[@Digitiser]

Thanking you, Bellston!

[@ThaCatMan]

Where I live we have The Fen Tiger supposedly big black cats have always been here. I've heard things follow in the dark on footpaths but no sightings

[@Digitiser]

Ah yes, heard of the Fen Tiger.

[@stu1984]

As soon as the beans came out I knew where this was going 😂 Brilliant video!!

[@Digitiser]

It's tradition on Halloween!

[@OneSwitch]

Thought I saw a black big cat driving to or back from Dover many years ago. Big cat sized and slinking around some trees. Only a glimpse though.

[@Digitiser]

They're pretty sneaky.

[@BeasBotBonanza]

Closest encounter I've had with wildlife was when a particularly thicc badger got stuck in our garden gate and I was the only one in the house brave enough to go help it 😢 Clattering about at 3am waking the neighbours and worth it to let the poor thing loose, i hope its doing okay and it was nice to actually get to touch a badger, they are very soft! (I was safe btw and so was the badger, I just helped kind of gently push it through with my foot after working out where its shoulders were stuck

[@Digitiser]

Badgers are terrifying monsters!

[@davidsmith663]

Given that these cat's have god hearing, the majority of people will be detected long before they are within sight of a cat. Talking is a huge giveaway and so is scent. If you are not expecting or looking for a big cat, when you first see one it's a shock. You have to allow your brain time to react. This can take several seconds, as it did with me when I had my first sighting. You literally can't believe your eye's. To expect people not to be surprised at this encounter, and then say "Where are the photo's then?" is not only stupid, but unfair on them. These encounters are only for a few seconds if close and longer at distance (hence the poor quality). Now trail camera's are different. They work 24/7 and are activated on movement. BUT, given the size of a leopards territory and the paths they take on a regular basis, it is almost like a needle in a haystack. But now and then they are caught. I have seen over 30 photo's of leopard, with three of them by a gate, thus giving a good size guide. They will never be published. He's a keeper, doesn't care about money and doesn't want nut cases walking around his patch with cross bows or guns. He also doesn't want the ridicule for "faking" the shots and being called a liar. It was weeks before he would talk to me and show the photo's via a mutual friend. I can't blame him. Loved this video. Very well done and filled with a bit of comedy. PS. What about doing other things that exist that are even more scary?

[@Digitiser]

Thank you, David. And yes - absolutely agree. When I saw one in the Isle of Wight there was literally no time to do anything other than say "Oh my god" before it was gone. Looking into other scary things that do exist is kind of our whole thing. We've got a big long list we want to do. Always open to suggestions!

[@davidsmith663]

@@Digitiser Have a look at the Green man/bigfoot. Some say they have the ability to cloak, which would explain what I have been seeing in the woods over the decades.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

That's an excellent point about their hearing and scent! And we would absolutely be up for exploring other unusual things that exist (not sure about the scary part, but I guess it comes with the territory).

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

@@davidsmith663 Ah yes, we've heard about a possible British Bigfoot near Norwich, is that the one you mean, or is there another area that you've heard about?

[@Digitiser]

There are a few places apparently!

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

Back in July 1984 My cousin and I had a close encounter with a large hungry panther that began circling us on Blackamoor in North Derbyshire. We were two skinny teenagers it was growling, it fancied it's chances. We turned to Jesus pretty sharpish I'll tell you. I had my stiletto switch too. Jellied legs praying in the dark making our way off the moor. I researched big cat vocalisations two years ago because in October 2022 my youngest lad had a close encounter in the dark with a large growling beast on Stanage edge in North Derbyshire. The panthers growl is what we decided on. Sheep farmers don't speak openly about having to hunt them & incinerate them. But I can assure you that they do. Last thing a farmer wants is a scene. Mums the word. Seen plenty of evidence around the dark peak too. Including a large grapefruit sized fur ball made up of lambs bones encased in the lambs wool. Panther is an ambush predator but they'll stalk if they must.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

Omg that sounds absolutely terrifying!! And yes, I’ve heard that about farmers too!

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

@@lasanja_interdimensional Birds of prey receive the same welcome.

[@DefinitelyAPotato]

Are you seriously suggesting a large conspiracy of farmers hunting big cats with no witnesses or evidence of their actions? And they're all in on it?

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

@@DefinitelyAPotato You're unaware of rural sensibilities.

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

@@DefinitelyAPotato I haven't heard about farmers hunting big cats per se, but I have heard several mentions of farmers seeing them and not wanting to tell anyone because they don't want to draw attention to their land or have a bunch of strangers show up.

[@MrMurray666]

Excellent video. One of the best digi videos I have seen 👍

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, Mr M. We're very proud of it.

[@MeAuntieNora]

I saw one in Long Island, New York as kid! I know it's not necessarily the same creature or cultural phenomenon but it makes me sympathetic to the people who aren't believed. My family was renting a house and I had run out to grab something from the car in the middle of the day. When I grabbed my Game Boy or whatever and turned to go back to the front door, I watched a large black cat calmly finish crossing the driveway. I watched it for at least 5 seconds before it reached the tall salt marsh grass and disappeared. It was at least 3 times the size of a house cat to my eye. Our family always had cats, including black cats. Of course I had encountered stray cats as well. But to me it was clearly something else. I still wonder what I saw.

[@Digitiser]

That's the most frustrating thing really: knowing most people won't believe what we heard. It was clear as day, incredibly close.

[@truthwillout1980]

Definitely gonna be using 'Ridgeridoo' in my future common parlance.

[@Digitiser]

Hah!

[@richardbale725]

ahh so thats what it means when i go on a webite and it says cougars in my area

[@TertiaryScroat]

If a red Ford Escort drove by unexpectedly you would have a very hard time getting a good photo before it is gone let alone gob smacked with a creature running away. And if Gandalf who you interviewed there is involved with Fortean Times he witnessed his grand father display serious magic, like jaw dropping.

[@nixellated2349]

Fantastic as always

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, Nixy!

[@keng6663]

The answers obvious…. WOMBLES! They can strip a carcass in minutes!

[@Digitiser]

It all makes sense!

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

It all makes perfect sense now!

[@Pomshka]

Those are called HEDGEHOGS 🤣

[@lasanja_interdimensional]

@@Pomshka 🤣

[@keng6663]

@ no that’s great uncle Bulgaria eating chocolate hobnobs.

[@cfztv]

That was magickal Mr and Mrs B. Well done

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, lovely chap.

[@ceebrupt]

We believe you!

[@Digitiser]

Hurrah!

[@stephaniefoster6902]

Ashens sent me here, loving this video 😊

[@Digitiser]

Hurrah! Welcome, Stephanie!

[@wavecreatures]

I came at the behest of Ashens!

[@Digitiser]

Hello!

[@DiggingForFacts]

The Laughton Forest story got me to pull out Hunter & Barrett's Field Guide to Carnivores of the World. 1 meter is very small for something like a Puma, but about ideal sizing for a Bay cat or Temminck's golden cat, which have that typical brown but with black and white facial markings which people associate with pumas. It could potentially also be a Caracal, although I'd expect the ears would be a dead giveaway. All of these fit the bill for "escaped exotic pet that would still seem managable in an average home" since they're about the size of a very large domestic dog. Most big cats only get to live about 15-20 years max so there's always the problem that even if they can survive on their own in an unfamiliar habitat, most of the infamous stories should have died of natural causes or old age by now.

[@Digitiser]

Yeah, my theory is they're still getting released - but there aren't many out there at any one time.

[@tomwilson88]

Yay I've missed the characters. Still been loving the new vids though

[@Digitiser]

The characters will be more of a common occurrence again from now on.

[@Illusionator]

Most excellent stuff. I’m still not sure whether to believe you or not… lickle tinkers! Love as always

[@Digitiser]

The cat stuff... 100% true. Both my Isle of Wight sighting and the noise!

[@Illusionator]

@ no no I meant that you didn’t know how to pronounce Laughton 😉

[@Digitiser]

@@Illusionator Hah!

[@Mildfury]

Some say he's still out there, chasing beans

[@chrisoffer3074]

Great video loved it

[@Digitiser]

Thanks, Chris!

[@JulieSimmonds-z2j]

They are incrediibly elusive creatures. You won't find one. But no doubt, there are a few around!

[@ridcullyshat8522]

Used to be rumours about a large, black cat that roamed around the area between my home town and the town of sandwich. Still occasionally pops up now and again but never any photographic evidence, just the usual 'eye witness reports'. Loved the video as always, having action man and snowmobile back is a treat

[@Digitiser]

They shall return!