The big freeze may have had its advantages for big cat enthusiasts.
A Glenrothes man believes prints found in the snow on the Lomond Hills are evidence that a big cat is definitely on the prowl.
Willie Goodwin (50), an electronics worker from Glenrothes, was walking in the hills on Sunday when he made the discovery. He is convinced the prints are not from a dog, but from a large feline predator.
There have been numerous reports of big cat sightings in Fife over the years. Some believe the cat to be a dark puma-like animal, with others convinced a lynx is on the loose.
“These prints are by no means a big dog,” said Mr Goodwin. “I have had them confirmed by a gamekeeper friend saying they are from a big cat.”
Mr Goodwin found the prints just south of the Ballo Reservoir and used a phone top-up card about the size of a credit card to show the scale. From the picture, the paw impression appears to be about 15cm long.
He added, “I used to work as a gamekeeper’s assistant and I’ve always been in touch with the outdoors.”
Even officers with Fife Constabulary are convinced big cats are lurking in the region. In 2006, the force’s wildlife crime unit said it could prove the existence of what was known locally as the “Beast of Balbirnie” when it sent away a cast of a print to zoologists and the experts claimed it matched that of a cat.
Despite repeated reports of sightings, there will always be sceptics. One Markinch man even claimed the “big cat” was in fact his sister’s St Bernard.RoamLast summer, the Big Cats in Britain organisation set up cameras in secret locations across Fife in a bid to prove that the large felines roam the countryside.
Retired police officer George Redpath, of Balmullo, has been studying big cats for 20 years. He said he was unsure about the new prints but welcomed any information that could help get to the bottom of Fife’s big cat mystery.
“I don’t think the prints are a dog’s but I’m not 100% sure they are from a cat either. It’s difficult because snow could distort the size of the prints. Looking at them, I’m wondering if they could be from an otter or a badger.
“But I’ve seen big cats and I know they are there.”
Mr Redpath believes there are more than one species of big cat in Fife as a result of them being brought into the country and either escaping or being deliberately freed.
Fife Constabulary’s wildlife crime co-ordinator Ian Laing said a big cat sighting had been reported two to three weeks ago around Glenrothes.
He added, “We get reports all the time. Most people describe it as being black and about the size of a labrador, but feline in shape.”