Big cats in the UK: 'Sightings' in Newport and Merthyr

After the discovery of large paw prints nearby the dismembered remains of a deer by a dog-walker near Dartmoor, stories of big cat sightings have surfaced again – and Gwent and South Wales is no exception.

Jodi Hunt sent in this photo over the bank holiday weekend, taken in a field in Newport.

Ms Hunt said on close inspection she is positive the marks are “huge paw prints”.

“The previous day (to when the photo was taken) my daughters and I had seen a big animal,” she said. “I’m not sure what it was, but we saw it while walking and it was staring at us from under a tree.

“The animal was far away in the distance, but I could tell it was big!

“I went walking in the same field a day later, and found these paw prints.”

READ MORE:

• The Estyn scores and reports for every Newport secondary school
• Gwent Police turn away bank holiday visitors to Wales
• The Met Office weather forecast in Gwent this Bank Holiday

A little further afield in Merthyr, Debra Winter says she has actually seen a big cat in the wild, and has shared her photos.

“My colleague and I were at Prince Charles Hospital on May 4 at 5.38am, looking out the window,” she said. “We noticed a large black cat moving slowly on the newly constructed path close to the helipad.

“It looked about the size of a dog, but moved like a predatory cat. It caught our attention immediately, and we watched it until it went out of our sight.

“We knew it wasn’t a normal cat so mentioned it to our colleagues. As far as I’m aware there have been no other sightings.”

If you’re out and about in Gwent for a stroll – keep your eyes peeled. You might get more than you bargained for!