Golfers In Cambridgeshire look out!
Big cat spotted at golf club
A GOLFER has claimed he spotted a “puma” on a course near St Neots.
The animal, described as light beige in colour, ran past Eddie Smith at
Abbotsley Hotel, Golf and Country Club at around 7.30am today.
Mr Smith, a member of the club, was walking down the 11th fairway of the Cromwell course when the unusual encounter took place.
The 62-year-old from Fen Stanton said: “I have never seen anything like
this before. The animal that passed me – at great speed – was
definitely a puma. It looked like it was chasing something and was
bigger than a dog.
“The 11th fairway is right next to a thick copse of trees, so it is
possible that it has made its home there.” He added: “This really is a
story to tell the grandchildren.” Mr Smith said: “I was a bit concerned
as there was no-one else on the course. But I carried on playing.”
Many remain sceptical about the existence of the so-called Fen Tiger
but there have been numerous sightings of a creature, described as a
puma or panther, in the area.
But Dr Rob Asher, a lecturer in zoology at Cambridge University, said:
“Big cats do not exist in Britain in the wild. This animal has been
recorded in remote areas of Scotland and in Europe but nowhere down
here. It would have to be an escapee from a zoo if it were a wild cat.”
Rebecca Willers, animal collection manager at Shepreth Wildlife Park,
said that without hard evidence it is impossible to say whether it was
a big cat or not.
Nicky Briggs, general manager at the golf club at Abbotsley, said in
February during heavy snow, she was out walking the course when she saw
huge paw prints.
She followed the prints and found a trail of blood leading to a decapitated badger corpse, which had been half-eaten.
She said her immediate thought was there must have been a big cat
nearby and added: “I hadn’t thought too much about my find in February
until Eddie Smith came off the course this morning. My suspicions
appear to have been confirmed.
“I am very keen to get an expert to the course to look into the
possibility of a puma living nearby, so that all my members can
continue to play golf without fear of encountering a puma.”
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