SIGHTINGS: Huge black cat spotted four times on the Wirral

Members of the public have reported four sightings of a large, black cat at different locations on the Wirral.

Some of these witnesses said they think the animal was either a panther or a puma.

Willaston

The most recent occurred earlier this week, at around 7:15 AM on Wednesday 21st June. Peter was using the Wirral Way cycle path when he spotted an all-black cat, the size of a German Shepherd, run down the embankment on his approach to the Damhead Lane bridge.

He told Puma Watch: “Out on morning cycle from Willaston to Neston direction.

“Approached Damhead Lane bridge when a very large cat ran down the bank, at which point I veered off to the right and the cat shot back up the bank and away.

“The cat was about the same size as a German shepherd dog, all black and without doubt it was a cat.

“Extremely frightened and couldn’t believe it. A little scared to go back out in the morning.”

Prenton

At around 2 PM on Saturday 13th March, Mr A Johnston spotted what he believes might have been a panther at the Solly Recreation Ground in Prenton.

He told Puma Watch: “[I was] Driving over the flyover and I noticed a man starring toward the field.

“He was looking around then back to the field, he was wide-eyed.

“I looked to see what he had seen and there was a very large black cat walking toward the railway line. It walked just like a panther and was huge.”

Bidston Hill

At around 11:15 AM on Friday 12th February, Cane was walking on Bidston Hill when he claims a black puma chased him up a tree.

Cane told Puma Watch: “I was walking past the windmill when I spotted this giant puma species walking slowly towards me. I started to run and it chased me, I had to climb up a tree to get away!”

BUrton Woods

And on 24th March, Matt told us of an encounter with a potential puma in Burton Woods, near Neston. He said: “So this wasn’t the first time I’ve been aware of something, just to let you know.

“A friend and myself were on mountain bikes approaching the back of Burton Woods when we noticed about 30yrds away a silhouette sat on the end of a treelined driveway, a large black animal next to the hedge line. We had stopped before going into the woods and looked at it.

“I said to my friend that’s not a dog! I’ve owned many large dogs and it just didn’t have the same mannerism and look as one. Its head, for a start, had a short muzzle just like a big cat.

“We stood there looking at it for about 5 seconds. It was looking back at us, then it went from sitting to crouching on all fours and proceeded to go into Burton Woods in the way a stalking cat would move but at speed.

“We stood there in disbelief and doubting ourselves. Still to this day, I believe it was totally a big cat.

“I would have dismissed this through sheer disbelief, but I mentioned it to some other people and then I found out other people had stories to tell, their recollections and information left me no other option than to believe my eyes.

“The size of it was about hip height to the top of its head, jet black as far as we could tell and its tale was about the same length as its body. We didn’t panic which is why I think it didn’t initially run away.”

Multiple other sightings have been reported in Ellesmere Port and Chester. In February, a big cat stared down a dog walker in Whitby Park. A very large number of sightings in Chester includes many on the side of the city bordering the Wirral.

Any further sightings should be reported via this form.

Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles. They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent. 

As seen with Llandundo’s now-famous goats, who have taken to roaming the town’s deserted streets during the coronavirus lockdowns, it’s likely that the reduced levels of human activity over the last year is encouraging big cats to roam further from the hills into more populated areas.

Earlier this year, the Welsh Government responded to the recent spate of sightings and confirmed the steps they take to investigate any reported to them, including taking casts of paw prints.

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.