A mother and daughter have reported a terrifying encounter with a large black cat at Trefil Quarry in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, in which the animal was witnessed bringing down a sheep before stalking the pair back to their car on the evening of 14 March 2026.
Nicola told Puma Watch: “Out walking in Trefil Quarry with my daughter when we saw six sheep came running over the hill followed by a black animal low to the ground — it pounced on one of the sheep neck taking it straight down and keeping it down. The other sheep stop. This black animal then notice us watching it, it let go of the sheep and ran over to the other sheep.
“This black animal got up and ran three metres up the hill still very low to the ground. Stop and started to watch us. We started to walk back to the car now it was starting to get dark but we could still see it. It stalked us all the way back to the car.
“Half hour earlier we were walking up the hill where this happened we heard and saw a cow mooing loudly and running but could not see what was chasing it. That what stop us from walking to the top. This black animal looked like a cat and acting like a cat, the way it moved — muscular, powerful.”
Trefil Quarry sits on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, north of Trefil village in Blaenau Gwent — at approximately 409 metres above sea level, one of the highest points in the Welsh valleys. The rugged, glaciated upland terrain, surrounding open hillside, and abundant livestock make it highly suitable habitat for a large apex predator. South Wales has a long history of big cat reports, most notably the alleged attack on a young boy in nearby Trellech in August 2000, and numerous livestock-related encounters across the region. The Brecon Beacons border area in particular offers extensive wilderness with minimal human activity, providing both cover and prey.
Big cats are not native to the UK, but it is widely believed that a feral population has been living in the British countryside for decades. When the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in 1976, it required owners of exotic animals — including big cats, which had become fashionable pets in the late 1960s and early 1970s — to obtain a licence and meet strict housing standards. Rather than comply, many owners chose to release their animals into the wild. It is thought that these releases, along with subsequent escapes from private collections, are responsible for the ongoing sightings reported across the UK to this day.
If you have seen a big cat anywhere in the UK, please report it to us via the sighting form here.