Schoolgirl comes face to face with 'black panther' in the Forest of Dean
SCHOOLGIRL Kim Howells had a 15th birthday to remember after coming face to face with a big cat.
The Heywood pupil fled in terror after being pursued by the panther in woods near Ruspidge.
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Kim Howells says she was chased by a big cat on her 15th birthday.
Kim was walking with her cousin Sophie Gwynne, eight, at around 8.30pm on Monday when they came across the beast lying beneath a tree.
She said: "I saw something out of the corner of my eye and at first I thought it was a log or something. We carried on walking but then I looked back and it was sitting up looking at me."
Kim said the cat was about the size of a Great Dane, black all over with big eyes and paws and a long tail. She said it was about 15metres away from them and there was no mistaking what it was.
She said: "It was definitely a big cat. I've seen boar in the Forest before and it definitely wasn't one of them. What makes me sure is that it was still light so I could see it really clearly."
As the girls walked away the creature started following them along the path.
Kim said: "Sophie was asking what it was and then we looked behind us and it was about five metres away, following us.
"I didn't know what to do so we cut through the brambles and just started running."
The girls ran all the way back to Kim's home in Ruspidge.
Kim's mum Cathy said: "They were in a real state, their feet were all cut and Sophie was in tears.
"Kim is a very sensible girl and if that's what she says she saw, that's what it is."
Cathy later showed Kim a picture of a panther on the internet and she confirmed that was what she saw.
Cathy says she has now has second thoughts about letting her daughter and niece play in the woods.
She said: "I used to think that they were much better off there than a public park or somewhere but now I'm not sure, it is a real worry."
It is not the first time a big cat sighting has been reported near Ruspidge.
In June 2007, milkman Robert Brinton got an early morning wake-up call when he encountered a big cat in Railway Road.
Earlier the same year, firefighter Peter Bishop reported a black cat sighting in Cinderford and a lorry driver from Lydney saw one on Valley Road.
20 Comments
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by Grumpy, Cheltenham
Tuesday, May 25 2010, 3:31PM
“Kim should take a little more water with her drinks.”
by geraint, gloucester
Tuesday, May 25 2010, 12:32PM
“Fair enough Vicky, but it certainly won't stop me getting out and about in our glorious countryside and I hope others aren't put off either. After all - we're always hearing about folk attacking other people, but when was the last time you heard of anyone being attacked by a big cat in the UK?”
by Victoria, Gloucester
Tuesday, May 25 2010, 11:22AM
“geraint - okay, whilst your theory may stand up when regarding animals in the woods, Rob saw a panther on the road cornering a domestic cat so I doubt that was an optical illusion. There is no doubt that they're out there & Ruspidge seems to be a place they frequent for whatever reason. There have been many sightings of panthers (no one has gotten close enough to identify whether it / they are leopards, pumas.etc) from Rob to policemen to firemen to lorry drivers to this girl, and a few sightings of mountain lions in the Forest too.”
by geraint, gloucester
Tuesday, May 25 2010, 10:29AM
“Calm down Vicky Dear!
I am not calling your father-out-law a liar or anyone else for that matter - I merely put forward a rational, scientifically proven, explanation for the vast majority of big cat sightings. Indeed it was cruel comments from those ridiculing the young lady that prompted me to post in the first place.”
by Victoria, Gloucester
Monday, May 24 2010, 10:08PM
“geraint - quite frankly your theory of seeing these big cats being an "optical illusion" is ridiculous, especially as the milkman mentioned (Rob Brinton) happens to be my boyfriend's Father & the last person to lie. I recommend you visit Exmoor Zoo in Devon where they have a huge melanistic leopard named Ebony they caught in Exmoor National Park only a few years ago. Anyone who thinks they're not out there is completely naive. As for panthers not attacking - if you give them enough reason to they will. Common sense people??”
by Kath, Chelt
Friday, May 21 2010, 1:05PM
“Thanks for the link Commuterguy, very interesting! It's easy to be sceptical but it's also a fact that people have kept big cats in this country in the past and let them go when they have become unmanageable....”
by geraint, gloucester
Friday, May 21 2010, 10:55AM
“There is something strangely appealing about the prospect of big cats roaming the forest. However, a couple of obvious questions do spring to mind: "Why have no big cats been found dead?" and "Where are the sheep carcasses displaying all the tell-tale signs of having been taken by big cats?"
As a regular walker I suspect there is a simple explanation to these sightings - optical illusion - an effect I have experienced myself when walking in numerous locations including Snowdonia and the Forest of Dean. In open country and woodland emerging animals can sometimes appear of larger size than they really are - in much the same way as the moon near the horizon looks larger than when it is high in the sky. This effect has something to do with perspective and an absence of nearby easy-to-size objects - e.g. a distant group of trees 150 ft high appears the same size as a group of trees 15ft high closer to. This magnifying effect is exaggerated where the subject is viewed from a lower vantage point.”
by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Friday, May 21 2010, 10:39AM
“Any experienced tracker should be able to confirm the presence of a big cat in the area. And then there's always infra-red surveillance.”
by Commuterguy, Gloucester
Thursday, May 20 2010, 11:12PM
“Some of the comments on here are from uneducated people, Anyone doubting the claim that big cats are alive and well in uk should take a look via the link below, it's fact......be careful out there.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8172064.stm”
by Nick, Gloucester
Thursday, May 20 2010, 4:43PM
“So it was a black panther that was picked out of an internet ID parade, was it? It's a pity that the ID wasn't able to tell us if it was a jaguar, a puma or a leopard or any other big black cat. Don't tell me the website didn't say that the word panther can apply to a number of different species from different parts of the globe?
How about a pink panther next time?”