After we reported on a historical sighting in Pembrokeshire back in January, another motorist has been in touch with details of a possible puma encounter.
Robert was driving along Kiln Park Road in Narberth at around 4:30PM on Tuesday 30th March when he spotted movement “in the field near the Eastern boundary of Greenway Farm, not far the train station.”
His report continues: “The hedges were cut low therefore I was able to see what looked similar to the back of a puma moving/sprinting quickly away from the hedgeline (approx SouthWestwards).
“The animal was light brown, muscular with a long thickish tail (curled at the tip) and its movement was not like that of a dog. It appeared to be chasing or pouncing, as its front legs were stretched outwards as if trying to catch prey.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Following the lead of other public services including Network Rail, the Puma Watch website has been temporarily greyscaled as a mark of respect following the death of HRH Duke of Edinburgh.
We’re aware this makes some aspects of the website, such as the map and ‘pin drop’ above, difficult to read and apologise for any inconvenience.
“The animal was only about 20-30 feet away from me, so I could tell it was quite large, but as I was travelling I could not tell exactly how big it was (definitely not a domestic cat however, due to size/speed/colour).
“I was taken aback by the creature and told my family to look quickly but they didn’t see it.
“Unfortunately due to the fact that I was driving my view was obscured quickly by hedges as I passed.
“I turned the car around at the end of the road and came back to look again (within 30 seconds) but we could not see anything (no dog was being exercised in the field either).
“I tried to convince myself that I only saw a dog, but I’m 75% sure that it wasn’t canine. Incidentally, there were several reported sightings of big cats by local farmers a few years ago, which I was quite sceptical of until now.”
When big cats were banned as pets in the 1970s, it was legal to release them into the countryside to avoid expensive rehoming costs. Owners from across the UK travelled to areas like Wales to release their cats in the remote environment, where small but significant populations have thrived ever since.
Earlier this year, Bellingcat exposed an international exotic pet trafficking operation, in which Instagram celebrities posted videos with animals including monkeys, sloths and a range of big cats, including baby tigers, cheetahs, lions and pumas. The animals were sold to buyers around the world from a base in Dubai.
Also this year, a London man was fined after neighbours spotted he was keeping an African wildcat at his home. He purchased the animal from an unlicensed Russian company. The man had previously been reported to authorities but had told them he didn’t own the animal before eventually being caught red-handed.
It’s likely that many illegal owners in similar situations would release such animals into the British countryside. This prevalent underground trade, now fuelled by Instagram and social media, could be big a big part of explaining why so many big cat sightings are now being reported.