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Alien Cats
Tales of “alien big cats” – or ABCs – are a favourite among British newspaper editors. Each year we get multiple sightings, variously described as pumas and panthers, and some compelling video evidence – the best recently was taken by PC Chris Swallow, near Helensburgh in Scotland, in 2009.
There are two oft-touted explanations for the actuality of these felids. One – obviously – is that they are escaped exotic species. In 1976, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act came into force, forbidding the keeping of dangerous animals as pets. (Before then you could buy a lion at Harrods!) Many were probably dumped – a puma was captured in Scotland in 1980 and a lynx, on the run from a private collection, was shot in Norwich in 1991.
The other explanation is that ABCs are an as-yet-undiscovered species, a survivor from the Ice Age. This may seem improbable, but in 1984 the Scottish Kellas cat, long thought to be a myth, was proved to exist when one was shot. At more than 2ft long, this house cat/wildcat hybrid was not a small creature.
Sightings, the occasional attack and other evidence aside, no remains have been found, nor has one ever been hit by a car, and police hunts end fruitlessly. Die-hard paranormalists ascribe a mystical origin; psychologists mass hysteria. Whatever, there could be a leopard at the end of your garden…
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