Footage of big cats in Shropshire? (2008)

Could this video footage provide evidence that big cats really are roaming the Shropshire countryside? Farmer Shirley Lewis, from Tiphouse Farm near Billingsley, shot four minutes of remarkable video of a big cat near her home in 2008.

[@emmadeeba2038]

I’d just like to add Britain is the perfect habitat for these animals, plentiful food supply, miles of woodland and fields to hide away undetected

[@stevenalderley9036]

Just because Britain is a perfect habitat doesn't mean much in the way of evidence of existence.

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

British countryside provides all the food they need. They are opportunistic hunters, often using ambush techniques. Deer, Hares, Rabbits, various birds, even Foxes and Badgers. Sheep, Horses and Cattle occasionally fall prey. Kills of larger animals often left high in trees!.

[@S.Trades]

But even more important, multiple sources of drinking water.

[@JulieSimmonds-z2j]

Agreed.

[@ArranVid]

Yes, this is proof that big cats exist in Shropshire because the size of the animal and the looks of that animal strongly suggest that it's a black leopard-like cat. The elongated body and the tail...it's not a dog, it's not a cow, it's too big to be a domestic cat I think.

[@manc0079]

My wife saw a black big cat chasing a deer in Bury, Lancashire last year. When I asked her if she's sure it wasn't a normal cat she replied "as big as a German Shepherd!? I don't think so!"

[@remyrichardson9263]

Oh my God, id say youre wife is blessed. Id feel honoured to witness that. Especially in the UK. Lucky lady 👍

[@vtg100]

About 2003, I saw one while at work in Welshpool. My boss who was walking behind me said nah, it's just an ordinary cat as its tail disspeard over the fence. The next day I went to where I had seen it and got a scale photo of its paw print. It was very big, the size of my Palm, about 3 inches across. I've still got the picture. A moggy paw is only about half an inch across.

[@vtg100]

PS, I think what I have counts as physical evidence??

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

You need a new tape measure

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

Quite clearly a Black Leopard. They are incredibly agile and powerful. The one i saw was 21 years ago now on the eastern edge of Birmingham. Never to be forgotten!.

[@lesbaty8919]

@@edwardtreadwell3859 I’ve also seen one in the same area , about 4 years ago , plenty of small deer in the area as well

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

@@lesbaty8919 The area in question is alongside the M6 and adjacent A452 . Unfortunately, much of that area is undergoing HS2 construction these days, so any cats have probably moved on to a quieter spot. We certainly get Muntjac deer in Castle Bromwich.

[@1423stuart]

See one in summer last year in wolverley about 10 mile away from this . I was going fishing at 4.30 in the morning .it was in the road I followed it for a while and it turned looked at me and jumped at least 10 feet up the verge at the side of the road .

[@theyliebutwhy8101]

I saw one while fishing in Derbyshire in middle of hot summers day I was stalking on the lake as carp were feeding on top so I left my peg and my friends and wondered off to the overgrown part of the lake while in bushes in my camo watching my bread on top in silence I heard a sweeping and a crunching sound like something snapping I turned my head and thier was a huge scruffy looking wild cat sat thier chewing a rat I litrely froze in fear this cat was not a normal size cat it had a small head but it’s body and legs were a lot bigger and it had more fur and pointed ears then as it noticed me it just stared at me for around 5 seconds then jumped like a lightning bolt and ran fast I heard all the twigs and bushes as it ran but then it just disappeared into the overgrowth I wondered back to my friends around 15 minutes up the lake told them what I saw but they didn’t believe me they just laughed and took piss put me lol but I know what I saw and it wasn’t a house or pet cat that’s for sure it’s legs looked muscular and long

[@GG-mx9fj]

Imagine owning a Panther and just casually releasing it into the U.K.

[@drguy2156]

They are here, I've seen them and they look like leopards to me.

[@remyrichardson9263]

They are leopards. Black leopards and they typical spotty leopards. There is no such breed as a Puma.

[@GrumpaGladstone1809]

@@remyrichardson9263 You mean panther (a melanistic leopard), a puma is a species, it's another name for cougar or mountain lion.

[@S.Trades]

​@@remyrichardson9263what planet are you on? You are thinking of a panther, which is a black leopard. A puma is lithe and tan coloured, with relatively small head.

[@remyrichardson9263]

@@GrumpaGladstone1809 u just said it your very self, its another name for a mountain lion ....so not a species. The species as your example stated is mountain lion.

[@remyrichardson9263]

@@S.Trades i said a black leopard 🤔

[@JimmyTheMower]

Seen one around the Brown Clee Hill area about 5 years ago at the end of a particularly harsh winter. Thought it was a black Labrador at first but I'm pretty sure it was a cat.

[@et0474]

What I live next to brown Clee! !!!!

[@remyrichardson9263]

And take note....you are still alive lol. Only a sick or injured big cat would attack a human. And a mother protecting its cubs of course. You'll be fine lol

[@kevalbertmooka]

I've recently moved near Abdon, anywhere near here? We've walked most of Brown Clee and there's definitely a lot of habitat and prey.

[@JimmyTheMower]

@@kevalbertmooka on the Derrington Road between Ditton and Monkhopton. Light dusting of snow on the road and suddenly 2 very small deer burst through the hawthorn hedge and right in front of my car. I slammed the brakes on and looked at where they had come from and there was what I thought was a black labrador, its tail in the air. Was talking about it a few months later was informed it was more than likely a large cat. Despite lots of walking I have never seen one since.

[@fonejacker122]

I've seen this one in Billingsley, I reported it to the Shropshire Star but they didn't follow up, it walked straight in front on my car, didn't even look at me just saunterd across the road and down the embankment next to Hoo Farm. I went back to look for it with some good cameras it's often seen by locals but they don't report it through fear of being over run by big cat hunter's. Having spent time in Kenya and seeing big cats close up, I know for a fact this was a black leopard

[@cobraman225]

With today’s cameras how come every film or pic is out of focus

[@remyrichardson9263]

Not all are, but alot of sightings are seen from a distance. The more you have to zoom in the more detail the picture loses and it becomes grainy. There is a video here on you tube of someone driving down a country lane in Dorset (i think but im almost certain ut was the west country), obviously going at a reasonably slow speed and the dashcam catches a clip of a typical spotty leopard walking on the edge of the road towards the car and it veers off in to the bush on the side of the road. Awesome footage. Theres also a video about uk big cats and 1 person took the presenter to a place where a dead typically spotty leopard was laying in a ditch, presumed road kill in a state of decay beside a road again in the west country. Sad but undeniable that it was a leopard despite the decay. And even the footage that is grainy and unclear, theres no mistaking a big cat on the move for a domestic cat. Or a large dog. The head shape is different to a tabby cat the muscle structure is visible as it moves and the way it moves is completely different. Same size as a dog in the distance yes maybe but again the head and the feline movement is also different from a big cat. If you cant see the definition on a grainy pic look at the movement and characteristics.

[@jamesf8864]

The footage in this video is 15 years old...

[@theyliebutwhy8101]

Ye someone needs to catch one with a Nikon p900 camera u can zoom into the moon with one of those and see fine detail thier amazing cameras only 500 pound too

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

This video is 16 years ago remember. Even today it's not easy to get pictures of these cats, although they exist without doubt.

[@jameslovelady1016]

I’ve seen one in Chester about 14 years ago it ran across the down a country lane about 10ft in front of the car they are here fact

[@bumpyjason]

I saw one at darenth lakes and had an encounter with one on the cuckoo trail in hailsham with my dog , it was in the hedge having a stand-off with my dog, I heard a twig snap under foot, it was no fucking rabbit

[@kdoc82]

That's exactly what I saw in a quarry in sundon Bedfordshire I'm sure they live there

[@stevenalderley9036]

The video is about as inconclusive as you're going to get. It appears to show a black cat, not a large black cat. Nowhere near clear enough as all clips of big cats seem to be..and nothing to show the scale of what we are looking at.

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

No doubting it is a Black Leopard or Jaguar, often referred to as Panthers. Certainly not a moggy!

[@sharnadacre4061]

Honestly believe this to be true 4 years ago (i know when as i was pregnant with my eldest) we drove along the A454, i looked to my left into the fields and walking along the edge of the woods was a black big cat alot bigger than a domestic black cat as the distance it was there was noway it would of stood out to me and caught my eye. My other half was driving so couldn't look but me and my mom watched it as we carried on the straight road it was still walking on edge of the woods, we turned up the next available road towards where it was but it had dissapeared as we neared but we couldn't get that close to the woods anyhow to look properly. In my opinion from what we saw it was 100% there 4 years ago who knows now if its still alive taking into consideration when this was filmed and my sighting of 4 years ago.

[@jamesmason8436]

The A45 where?

[@sharnadacre4061]

@Neil Stevens definition of mom - ones mother Google it and get a life sshhhhhhhh

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

It says A454 !! . They are seen over the entire country, even the Isle of Wight!.

[@EnglishLonghorn]

It was seen a lot just north of shrewsbury in 1995, I saw it ,the postman did the local gamekeepers... Probably dead now that was 24 yrs ago.

[@remyrichardson9263]

Hopefully it will have had young that can keep the family tree going.

[@reubenl-b801]

My sister saw it (can’t remember the date, between 95 and 02) and they saw a panther. The next week a friend saw it along the side of a road aswell

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

They live approximately 12 years, and there is plenty of evidence of breeding and cubs being seen with the females.

[@tipiadventuresuk]

Melaninistic leopards. I saw this one too a few months later at Billingsley about 8 miles away from this one.

[@Specogecko]

She said it had dark blue eyes definitely bs

[@fonejacker122]

I saw this one too in Billingsley

[@fonejacker122]

I saw this one in Billingsley by Ray's Farm

[@raykopenate2969]

Is it a big cat really

[@raykopenate2969]

I wish I could see one

[@johnlewis5663]

Why can't anyone ever get a clear in focus photograph of these sightings.

[@ljs185]

distance! They dont come close to people they startle and run.

[@remyrichardson9263]

I would imagine because by the time youve reached for a camera, you have realised what youre looking at and shock, awe and adrenaline has taken over and holding a camera still and steady in those circumstances wouldnt be easy. Plus theres distance like the other reply points out. They are well aware that humans are predators too.

[@stevenalderley9036]

@@remyrichardson9263 Hmm. Hard to believe that not one person has ever managed conclusive footage though in all these years. Including the thousands of hunters cameras and other wildlife cameras that are setup and left for days on end all over the Countryside every year. Difficult to understand how not a single one of them has caught clear conclusive footage.

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

I shot on the farm from 2000 never saw anything and I live locally Shirley told me the story but she said she had pictures but I never saw them this is filmed from to far away I know the area and it does not look like a big cat that hole area is shot over and no one else has any evidence that I now of I wouldn't doubt what Steve and Shirley have seen but its not a big cat

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

A photo is usually the last thing you think of when confronted with a big cat. There are several clearer images posted on other sites that provide a better view of these cats.

[@davidh00]

There's nothing to show scale. The video means nothing. The two witnesses seem credible though.

[@Dr-kc3mk]

Blue eyes?

[@portcullis5622]

Can't tell from the video, but she is a fine looking woman.

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

Bright Yellow eyes in my own experience. Piercing too!

[@Wollemi1988]

Not convinced

[@Nemophilist850]

It looks like a normal-sized cat.

[@xboxmaster10]

Naa that thing huge

[@kamizarei]

No it isn't...they are here

[@remyrichardson9263]

I have had dpmestic cats for the past 25 years and that cat in the field is not a domestic cat. It carries its tail completely different to a domestic cat. Its muscular and its head and neck are thicker set. Thats defo not a domestic, its a black leopard.

[@ArranVid]

No it does not, it looks too big to be a domestic cat.

[@Nemophilist850]

@@ArranVid How so? You can't tell how tall that grass is.

[@foysollee750]

Where's the sheep been killed by leopard/Black Panther?

[@elizabethgannet6375]

he looks powerful - antidote to rabbit plagues!

[@remyrichardson9263]

They are at the top of the food chain. And keep the balance of the eco system in check.

[@g-man4297]

Yet another shaky blurry image that shows a black cat walking in a field, nothing to see here if it,s conclusive evidence you want.

[@dormantsuperhero]

I hope people leave them alone. Sadly I doubt it.

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

I shot on a a shooting cyndicate there I know these people and this is the fist pictures I have seen of a cat I live in the area And have shot all over there farm and serounding area never seen any signs of big cats ever

[@thislife3655]

Case closed, inspector🕵️‍♂️.

[@S.Trades]

What signs were you looking for? What would you expect to see?

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

@S.Trades well big cats don't rip there prey apart in the middle of a field for starters only one long rang blury out of focus video yet they saw it multiple times close up her farther is a shooter so why shoo it away why not shoot it no photos of paw prints

[@S.Trades]

Lucky you are on here to correct me. Thankyou.

[@juliaread2003]

Still the best footage to date. So clearly a black pather . I wonder what happend to it ?

[@jamesmason8436]

I disagree - it's not clear what it is at all. And there is better footage of big cats. The one taken on the train tracks (where there is stuff in the footage for scale) is the most compelling video I've seen. That cat was clearly 5ft (minimum) in length, as it was longer than the distance between the tracks (which we know to be 4.5ft).

[@notdaveschannel9843]

@@jamesmason8436 It's impossible to tell how large this animal is without anything for scale. If you're talking about the Helensburgh footage, the cat never actually crosses the tracks in a way that allows us to use the rail gauge for reference. Both that footage and this one look like domestic cats based on their build. Leopards are pretty powerfully-built animals.

[@jamesmason8436]

@@notdaveschannel9843 yes but I saw a pic where the cat was taken at its longest (as it appears in the video) and then moved so that it was across the tracks - the image was copied and pasted, if you like. The scale suggested that it was as long as the tracks are wide. Agree that it doesn't make it a leopard, but it was one big cat (though female leopards aren't particularly muscular, and are actually quite small relative to males). And lets not forget that the guy ran to get his camera in the first place, and was clearly out of breath and quite close to the animal (i.e. had a good view). Wouldn't have run for his camera if he wasn't shocked by the size of the cat.

[@urbanastro4701]

No such animal as a Panther, black or otherwise

[@juliaread9115]

@@urbanastro4701 I know it's called a black leopard. Just using its general discription

[@snugbug5067]

I don't believe this to be true. A wild cat would unlikely live to 14 years in the wild, even in it'd optimum normal environment. (Not sure when this video was made). All of the wild life docs I've seen over decades, (there's been many), the big cats don't seem to rip their kills too smithereens, like the husband said. That is a wild dog trait, ie wolves, coyotes, African wild dogs, or maybe feral dogs ! The exception might be s PRIDE of African lions.

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

Video made in 2008 so they will be on their next generation by now.

[@officialORXNGE]

Sadly the black Panther has died by now

[@teflondom-w80]

They live more like 20 years and the UK is their optimum environment. If you consider the range of their natural habitat, the UK falls fairly central to the scale. most sightings report the cats to be in amazing condition and health.

[@S.Trades]

They are almost certainly breeding in the countryside, so are established. Their survival issues would be farmers with guns and traffic.

[@stacileharve7084]

That's a domestic cat

[@ArranVid]

Looks too big to be a domestic cat.

[@ArranVid]

You are an attractive woman.

[@stevegoody3744]

It's a normal cat.

[@juliaread9115]

Doesn't move like a domestic cat.

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

Yes it does

[@ArranVid]

@@shropshireladoutdoors743 No it doesn't. Its size looks like a panther's and not a domestic cat's.

[@marinababy4240]

People in UK need a proper education regarding the big cats because this is stupid to say the cat looked like a German shepherd or to say I'm not sure what i saw, no they need to describe the animals perfectly otherwise nobody would believe them

[@marinababy4240]

Please educate more about them it can save your life

[@robbo147wt1]

Look it's as simple as this I don't care one bit if anyone believes me or not but I know what I had seen and it was a huge black animal its head was huge with a body about 5ft to six feet long the tail was about three to four feet long curled over at the end. I spotted it running across the first of three fields it covered the three fields in 12 to 14 seconds it appeared to be clearing 15 to 25 feet at a time and then disappeared into the hedgerow of a disused railway line. Unfortunately, no pictures or videos as it's not something one keeps on one person whilst in their house I just watched in sheer amazement I was speechless as to what I had witnessed. For what it's worth they are definitely out there be warned.

[@Outta_Towna]

​@@robbo147wt1 👌🏼 😎

[@S.Trades]

​@@robbo147wt1many other people have seen them too. I don't doubt there are some big cats around. 👍

[@shapumawildcat2800]

What is wrong with you,, ITS A NORMAL KITTY, can tell by size of the cut grass, dear oh dear,

[@blackcountrywalker]

never seen one anly foxes, cats, badgers, deers and the birds. never have i seen a zoo animal in the wild. plus you have filmed a normal moggy there look how tall the grass is.

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

I know the area well can't but agree with you

[@edwardtreadwell3859]

Definitely a Panther type. The length of the tail is confirmation.

[@razworthers_3601]

House cat