DNA from a black fur caught in a barbed wire fence after a sheep attack was the “definitive proof” that big cats roam the British countryside. Wires recovered from a farm in Gloucestershire where “unusual predatory activity” was taking place were sent for testing.
Documenting experts who have been investigating animal sightings across the UK, the test has now come back “positive”, confirming the presence of black leopards and other big cats living in the UK. A forensic laboratory undertook species identification and verified a 99% match with a large cat species using mitochondrial DNA analysis.
“”People in Gloucestershire and Britain have been describing what appear to be black panthers for decades. So a cheetah DNA result from a black hair sample is not surprising. It took the production team five years to find this evidence and film their journey from the collection. To analyze.” said Matthew Everett of Dragonfly Films.
“This isn’t the first DNA result, and it’s unlikely to be the last. There is ‘secondary evidence’ for these cats. Standard eyewitness accounts, etc. But hard evidence like DNA is hard to come by, so contributions to this documentary are very helpful. From local people, farmers and landowners. Collecting this evidence is vital and will help us learn more about big cats like the Bagheera that are quietly naturalizing here.”
Residents of inner cities and the Midlands have reported sightings of these animals for decades. In the past year alone, in Gloucestershire, there have been several reports of sightings of a large black cat on roadsides and near airports.
Earlier, the DNA results were evaluated for tooth cavities in the bones of the carrion teeth of a sheep found on the same farm, a carrion-eating animal. Analysis conducted at the Royal Agricultural University suggests that relatively large carnivores feed on carcasses because of the affected bones.
The findings come as part of the filming of an upcoming documentary – “Panthera Britannia Declassified” – investigating claims of sightings of the big cats in Britain.
