A holidaymaker staying near Mynydd Llandygai, above Bethesda, has reported watching a large, unusually coloured cat-like animal from her cottage balcony on the evening of July 12, 2026. The animal, described as black and white and possibly a panther, was seen standing on common land and woodland roughly 150 yards below the property at around 8:45 PM before it moved off with a distinctly feline gait.
Angelina told Puma Watch: “Looking into common land / woodland from balcony of holiday cottage and large animal standing stationary 150 yards away, we were looking down on it.
“Thought it was a collie dog waiting for owner until it turned and walked away very feline with a long cats tail, walked like a puma”.
This sighting has been added to our interactive map.
*Due to a technical issue, sightings between January 2023 and June 2026 are not displayed on the map. Going forward, all sightings will be recorded on this map system and we are working to import the missing sightings.
The land around Bethesda sits on the fringe of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, where rugged, wooded terrain and extensive common ground offer plenty of cover for a large, elusive predator.
This part of North Wales already has form: a previous cluster of sightings included an encounter further north towards Bethesda itself, alongside a panther seen in Penisarwaen and pawprints found in Rhiwlas. Dropping down the other side into Llanberis, a member of the public reported a roaming “tiger, lion or puma” to the police way back in 2016.
When the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in 1976, owners of big cats kept as exotic pets faced a choice between costly licensing or rehoming fees. Many instead chose to release their animals into remote countryside such as North Wales, where isolated populations are believed to have persisted and bred ever since.
If you’ve seen a big cat in North Wales, you can report your sighting via our online form.