Black Panther Prowling Norfolk

by Jason Clarke

In the past 18 months several witnesses have come forward to say they have seen a large black cat prowling the Norfolk countryside.

The number of sightings is now over 10 in the past 18 months, with the most recent being very close together. In early April Shaun Baxter was out hunting rabbits in a field just off Bacton Road between North Walsham and Edingthorpe, when he spotted a large panther-like cat scratching a tree just as a domestic cat scratches it’s claws on wooden posts.

“I was standing next to a tree in my camouflage gear and about 70 yards away was a big black panther-like cat.

“It was scratching on a tree, like a normal household cat would do at its scratching post.” He said.

Mr Baxter told reporters that the animal he saw was too big to be a domestic cat, he described it as being larger than a husky dog. Which is quite a large breed, as it happens. He explained that the beast ran off into the trees and disappeared, he waited a full 20 minutes before investigating further as he was obviously bricking it.

He said: “My heart was thumping. I couldn’t believe the marks on the trees.”

It was scratching on a tree, like a normal household cat would do at its scratching post

Only days earlier Rob Parkinson of Thorpe Hamlet claims a large black cat jumped in the road in front of his car on Reepham Road. His wife also witnessed it.

“We travel Reepham Road regularly and know it very well. We were at Alderford Common when the cat sprang into the middle of the road, and then leapt over the bushes and disappeared into the woods. This happened about 30 metres in front of the car and the evening was still very light.

“The cat was very big – it took up half of the two-lane road width and was waist-height. It was able to jump over the bushes and moved very fast, scaring away some birds as it went. It had a round head (not a long snout) and a long tail. We called the police an hour later and they logged the incident.

“We wondered if it was something to do with the circus that was camped near Taverham at the time – it certainly wasn’t ‘normal for Norfolk’.”

Now this week North Norfolk News has reported that two teenagers have found a badly mutilated dead deer as they walked along Weavers Way near Stepping Stone Lane just outside Stalham. The teenagers took photographs on the carcass which they showed to a Mr Barrie Slater, Mr Slater contacted North Norfolk News and gave them this statement:

“There is nothing around big enough to do that much damage. It appears to have had its neck broken which is the sort of thing big cats do. It’s an enormous bite.”

If anyone has spotted a big cat in Norfolk, or anywhere else in the British countryside don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Black Panther Prowling Norfolk

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