British Big Cats: possible explaination of Black Shuck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_big_cats

http://www.britishbigcats.org/

As a means of trying to place the black shuck “Fictional legend”in to some factual context, the most logical explanation is the British big cat. Perhaps seeing a large four legged black creature in the woods (Panther or black jaguar) The onlooker could easily confuse the figure as a large black hound from legend.

British big cats, also referred to as ABCs (Alien, or Anomalous, Big Cats), phantom cats and mystery cats, are reports and incidents of Felidae not native to Britain but supposed to inhabit the British countryside. These sightings are often reported as "panthers", "pumas", or "black cats".

The existence of a population of true big cats in Britain, especially a breeding population, is believed to be highly implausible by experts owing to lack of convincing evidence. There have been some incidents of recovered individual animals, often medium-sized species such as the Eurasian lynx but in one 1980 case a puma, which was captured alive in Scotland. These are generally believed to have been escaped or released pets that had been held illegally, possibly released after the animals became too difficult to manage. Sightings at a distance may possibly be explicable as domestic cats seen near to a viewer being misinterpreted as larger animals seen further away. A fringe theory suggests that the animals may be surviving Ice Age fauna.

There have been 455 sightings logged by police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2010 and 2015.

1  The Beast of Cumbria Is reported to be a black cat like a panther.
2  The Hull Hell Cat  A huge puma ‘spotted hiding in a field near Hull’.
3  The Bury Beast  A black panther spotted in the suburbs of Manchester.
4  The Wildcat of Wakefield  A black panther like cat spotted in Yorkshire field.
5  The Pershore Panther  A huge black cat beside the road in Worcestershire.
6  The Wildcat of Warwickshire. A possible lynx spotted wandering Warwickshire.
7  The Bedfordshire Big Cat. A ‘panther-like’ cat stalking the county.
8  The Beast of Silsoe A ‘cat as big as Labrador’ seen roaming small parish.
9  The Beast of Bucks a puma which attacked a dog in High Wycombe.
10 The Beast of Broomfield A huge cat spotted in Essex.
11 The Dartmoor Lynx Several sightings in recent months on the moors.
12 The Dartmoor Devil A leopard believed to behind cattle attacks.
13 The Creature of Cornwall is reportedly a stalking lion.
14 The Beast of Bodmin   several sightings of Puma like creature wandering the moors
15 The Suffolk Panther A huge black cat spotted on the Norfolk/Suffolk border

But many members of the public do not tell police when they see a suspected big cat in the wild.

It is estimated 2,000 of the beasts are seen each year, with most of the sightings not officially logged.

Repeated sightings of the big beasts long after it became illegal in 1977 to keep them as pets without a licence proves that they must be thriving, and breeding, in rural Britain.

Why are there big cats roaming our countryside?

Wild animal expert Jonathan Downes , the head of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, said: “Many big cat sightings are of animals that were kept as pets and released. Or they may be ones that escaped from zoos or were purposely let out into the wild.

“I am certain that big cats such as leopards and pumas must be breeding, as they do not live 40 years in the wild.

“Also, there have been occasional sightings of females with cubs.”

Evidence put forward as Big Cat evidence - but isn't!

Hoaxes are few, genuine mistakes are many. Here are some instances of both.

Cwmbran (Wales) a large cuddly toy (Summer 2005) fooled 2 National Newspapers!