In a remote Scottish village, a farmer caught a puma in 1976 after a series of savage attacks on livestock. But even with the culprit caught, large black cats continued to be seen throughout the Scottish landscape. Experts began to question whether the puma, nicknamed Felicity, was responsible for the killings, or if she was an unknowing participant in an elaborate hoax. Since Felicity’s capture, hundreds of reported sightings continue to be recorded each year across Scotland.
Back in 1980, Felicity was the prime suspect for sheep attacks in and around Cannich, a community within the vast area of hills and woodland in Glen Affric. Journalist Iain MacDonald was a reporter for the BBC at the time and recalls the beginning of the reports of big cats. People all over the area were seeing them, and sheep and other animals were being found torn apart with their bones smashed.
Farmer Ted Noble’s had lost livestock to attacks and reported seeing a large cat stalking his Shetland ponies. He set a trap using a cage baited with a sheep’s head, leading to Felicity being caught. However, the media’s arrival at the scene turned the capture into a spectacle, with everyone milling around the cage, looking at the trapped animal.
Experts began to doubt Felicity’s culpability for the attacks after capturing the elderly, tame, and overweight cat. She even had arthritis, and keepers reported her behaving like a household cat. Despite Felicity’s capture, large black cats are still seen throughout Scotland to this day. While it’s unsure if Felicity was responsible, many experts speculate that the hundreds of sightings per year may be the result of pets abandoned after 1976’s Dangerous Wild Animals Act.
Scotland’s nature agency, NatureScot, advises on non-native mammals in the wild and has information on its website about how to report unusual species. While they receive one or two sightings of big cats each year, none have provided sufficient evidence to conclude that large cats reside in the country. The last verified sighting of a big cat in Scotland’s wild was in 1980
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