The Case of Felicity the Puma
In 1980, a female puma, nicknamed Felicity, was captured in the Highlands after a series of livestock killings that had shocked local farmers. Trapped by a farmer, Ted Noble, who had grown frustrated with the relentless attacks on his sheep, the puma was found in a cage, baited with a sheep’s head. While the farmer believed Felicity to be the culprit, questions remained about whether she was really responsible or just an innocent bystander.
The trap, set in the wilds of Glen Affric, quickly drew media attention. Journalists swarmed the scene, eager to capture the moment as Felicity snarled and hissed in the cage. But things weren’t as straightforward as they seemed. Experts soon raised doubts about the puma’s involvement in the attacks. The animal was elderly, overweight, and even had arthritis. Some suggested she may have been a domesticated pet, either abandoned or used in a hoax.
A Shocking Discovery
Despite doubts surrounding her role in the attacks, Felicity was taken into the care of the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore, where she lived out her days. Interviews with the park’s owner, Eddie Orbell, revealed that the puma had been cared for and well-fed, casting serious doubt on the theory that she had been living in the wild for years, as many had believed. According to Iain MacDonald, a journalist covering the event at the time, the puma’s behavior seemed more suited to a household pet than a fearsome predator. She would allow people to scratch behind her ears and even draped herself around a keeper’s shoulders.
Felicity’s death in 1985 closed the chapter on the famous puma, but the mystery of Scotland’s big cats was far from over.
Unbroken Sightings
Even after Felicity’s capture, reports of big cat sightings continued to flood in. According to Paul Macdonald, who runs Scottish Big Cat Research, there have been over 1,600 reported sightings since 1947. Despite the widespread skepticism, new reports keep emerging. For instance, in 2018, a large black cat was reportedly spotted in East Ayrshire, prompting a police helicopter search. However, the Scottish SPCA later confirmed that the pictures taken by the public showed nothing more than a large domestic cat.
Other sightings include:
- August 2010: Police received warnings about big cats in Easter Ross and Sutherland after a “muscular black cat” with a square head was spotted near Tain.
- July 2010: A “black cat the size of a German shepherd dog” was seen near Inshriach, Kincraig.
- December 2008: A woman in Alness reported being attacked by a large cat while putting out her bins.
Paul Macdonald’s own experience with a big cat sighting further fuels his belief in the existence of these creatures. While traveling near Glenfinnan in the late 1980s, Paul and a friend spotted what he describes as a melanistic leopard, commonly known as a black panther. The sighting lasted only a few seconds but left a lasting impression on Paul, who later helped establish the Scottish Big Cat Research group to gather evidence and track sightings.
Theories Behind the Sightings
Many experts believe that the mysterious big cats could be the descendants of exotic pets released into the wild after the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976. This law required owners to obtain licenses for exotic animals and keep them in proper enclosures, leading some owners to abandon their animals when they could no longer meet these requirements. Paul Macdonald speculates that multiple releases, driven by the fear of having their animals destroyed, may have contributed to the rise in sightings. An illicit trade in exotic animals further complicates the situation, with unlicensed owners adding to the number of big cats in Scotland’s wilderness.
Despite these theories, Scotland’s nature agency, NatureScot, has stated that no verified evidence of big cats has been found in the wild since 1980. They acknowledge receiving a few sightings each year, but none have provided sufficient proof to confirm the presence of these elusive predators.