Big cat hunter probing Doncaster sightings says he has proof beasts are on the loose

While debate has raged over whether grainy pictures and videos can conclusively prove that big beasts are on the prowl, experts insist they are lurking in our countryside – including around Doncaster.

Leading wildcat expert Rick Minter, who has investigated the mysterious creatures' movements for 20 years, claims that there could be as many as 1,000 fierce felines hiding in forests around the country.

The environmental consultant features in new documentary, Britain's Big Cat Mystery, which uses DNA analysis and photographic evidence to 'prove' that fearsome creatures from black leopards to pumas and lynxes live in our woods.

"It's a crucial issue," Rick told The Sun in an interview. "How do we come to terms with living alongside big cats in Britain?"

“It's hard to judge how they are distributed. Deer is their main food source, so they are everywhere in the UK in reasonable numbers."

It comes after the latest Doncaster sighting which saw walkers spot a large, black animal prowling fields near Sutton cum Lound, south of the city, earlier this month.

It is estimated that there are 2,000 reported big cat sightings each year, but this month a number of incidents have sparked fears the creatures could be growing bolder.

Rick says it's possible that the animals could have "roamed into new areas" in the wake of lockdowns, but believes human activity could have caused a shift too.

"Green spaces on town edges became busier with people doing more local walks, which would disturb large cats and their main prey, deer."

Rick, who runs the Big Cat Conversations podcast, says the predators “very occasionally venture into urban areas at quiet times” in the search for food.

He added: “This is probably due to a big cat having a nearby territory and occasionally diverting to the urban edges.”

Britain's Big Cat Mystery gathers together some of the nation's most compelling photo and video evidence that wildcats are roaming free in our countryside.

They included John Bilney's 2020 photos of a big cat's torso, which expert Trevor McKenzie said was "the most conclusive piece of evidence" he had seen.

He said the trail cam shots showed “a juvenile mountain lion or puma” and added: “There is no doubt in my mind.”

Matt Smith's 2016 photo, snapped in Devon, was also highlighted for depicting rose-like markings on a creature's fur that are typically associated with a big cat.

The documentary also examines compelling physical evidence, including 240 bone samples collected by Professor Andrew Hemmings, from the Royal Agricultural University.

They come from "defleshed carcasses" and feature teeth marks that appear to originate from the powerful jaws of a big cat.

Field naturalist Jonathan McGown found a "beautiful double footprint" in Devon, from a big cat stalking its prey.

The overlapping imprints are called ‘direct register’ – when cats' front and rear paws tread in the same footprint to reduce the noise.

Jonathan takes a mould and experts conclude the prints are from a “large non-native species” – likely a big cat due to its circular toes and the double register.

Rick says he has personally heard of 1,400 credible accounts of big cats in the UK over the last decade, but believes they are the "tip of the iceberg" as most go unreported.

Despite the recent sightings, he insists these big cats are “shy and wary animals” and not “large predators on the loose”.

He said: “They are far more scared of us and most often they are just trying to move humans away from their territory.

“They don’t want to risk getting injured from an encounter with humans or machines, and so they live in the shadows, hidden away."

“If they are drawn into urban areas, domestic-size cats may be taken unfortunately but this happens very rarely.

“They have an abundance of natural prey available – especially deer – so they don’t need to adapt their behaviour to scavenge regularly.”

There have been numerous big cat sightings in Doncaster in recent years.

In May this year, 11-year-old Harry Abonyi was cycling in woods with dad Martin when a large mystery animal began giving chase to the youngster.

The father and son were biking through Black Carr Plantation on Warning Tongue Lane near to Cantley and Branton when they were approached by the animal.

Martin said: "As we rounded a corner I saw out of the corner of my eye a large black animal sprinting out from the cover of the woods heading directly for my son, running diagonally to head him off.

In June, a woman said she had spotted a big cat ‘the size of a Great Dane’ while walking in Barnby Dun.

In August 2021, a female dog walker reported seeing a beast prowling in fields near Thorne while another reported seeing a “big black cat while driving off the M18 onto the M180 near to Thorne Golf Course.

And earlier last year, footage emerged of a mystery animal in fields near Armthorpe.

In 2019, mum Jessica Clark spotted a huge 5ft black cat in fields near to the city’s Eco Power Stadium.

“When I realised what I’d seen, I just started panicking. It was massive and very muscular and definitely a big cat. It was quite frightening to see something like that up close,” she said.

In January 2017, Alan Tomlinson said he had seen a ‘panther’ near to junction one of the M180, close to Doncaster services.

Meanwhile, later the same year, trucker Graham Byram said he saw a trio of highways workers struggling to lift a huge dead animal into the back of a truck on the A1 near Harworth.

Stories of big cats go back to the 1960s and 70s when it was legal to keep exotic animals as pets.

But in 1976 the government introduced the Dangerous Wild Animals Act and while many owners gave their pets to zoos, rumours started that some people released their animals into the wild where their offspring still roam to this day.

Britain’s Big Cat Mystery airs at 9pm on Friday October 25.