Big Cats of England: Do they exist? What are they?
For a large part of Britain’s history, large and exotic pets were not uncommon. Among the large beasts owned by the rich were large cats. These included but were not limited to cheetahs, pumas, lions, and lynx. Then the Dangerous and Wild Animal Act in 1976 was implemented and started being enforced. Pet owners legally had three options for their beloved, yet dangerous pets. They either had to get the expensive permit, send the animal to someone licensed, or the simplest option, euthanasia. Those who couldn’t pay for the expensive permit but didn’t want their pet to be killed or in the hands of someone else, released them. Several people have admitted to releasing exotic cats into Britain. The bigger question is, are they still alive? Could they have thrived in Britain's cold climate and potentially bred there? We know there were some out there. Authorities have shot several lynx, cougar, and jungle cat who seem to be escaped or released pets in the UK before. Several parts of Britain are untouched, pristine wilderness with dense forest with large caverns. Before we consider the possibility of a wild population, we need to understand all of the aspects of what a predator needs and how they could or couldn’t be provided in Britain.
Britain does have a lot of natural, untouched land, but is it enough? A singular male cougar can dominate territories up to 150 square miles (nearly 390 km) so is there enough space in Britain for a breeding population? Well, there are 3.19 million hectares of forest in the UK (as of March 2019). Theoretically, there is enough land to support a small population of cougars. Smaller cats have much smaller territories so the jungle cats and lynx would very likely be able to have a population in Europe.
We also have to account for food and water. Their are many animals in Britain that would be able to sustain wild felids. Smaller to medium animals like badgers, rabbits, squirrels, otters, and feral cats all would make an small meal for a cougar and could be sustainable source of food for the lynx and jungle cats. Larger prey species include deer and, farmer’s cattle and sheep. There have been reports of large predators killing the sheep on farms and ranches. Usually it is a clean bite on the throat which is a strategy regularly used by big cats. These prey items are very similar to the prey item in North America. Cats from the colder regions of North America can probably thrive in Britain’s environment. North America has several cat species in its temperate regions such as cougars, lynx, and bobcats all which could survive in Britain.
While we know cougars and lynx could survive in these conditions and have been found in these areas, what about larger cats or more exotic cats. While cougars and lynx thrive in these temperate regions, could tigers, cheetahs, and leopards be living in Britain? The belief that these cats are out there is very common in the UK. Some claim to have seen cheetahs crossing train tracks or lions running across fields. Some of these claims have even gone far enough for police and even military investigation. On one of the military investigations, snipers were targeting a large black leopard (or jaguar we are not sure) who had been rumored to kill many of sheep in the nearby farmland. The snipers claimed to have seen the cat slip in and out of the bushes but they couldn’t get a good shot at the beast.
Cheetahs are one species that are commonly sighted. They would have a could chance of being released since they were fairly common pets. The question is, are any of them still out there. Cheetahs could live in the forests but they prefer to hunt of open grasslands, chasing after thinner, weaker prey. There are plenty of large grassy areas in the UK for cheetah to hunt in but there is an issue. The actual food. Cheetahs rely on chasing weaker species to wear them down and trip them. After tripping the prey animal, they go for a bite on the throat. With larger, more sturdy animals that is much more of a difficult task. Impalas are thin with long legs but the deer of Britain have much more powerful legs and a sturdier body. Not only does that make it harder for the cheetah to trip its prey, but it put the animal at risk of getting kicked. Getting kicked by an impala is very different than getting kicked by deer. That means if there are cheetahs, they have to rely on eating rabbits and other small animals for their entire lives.
Then, we have to address the most famous of the big cats of the UK, the black “panthers”. Panther could mean one of several different cats and a panther is not a species at all. The name panther on its own generally refers to a cougar (also called the puma) but the name “black panther” refers to either a melanistic leopard or jaguar. After this point I will be referring to these black cats as black leopards because I haven’t heard of many people keeping jaguars in Britain but there were several black leopards. Leopards would fare surprisingly well in Britain. They would hide in the forest regions I mentioned earlier. Their hunting strategy which relies mostly on stealth would be very successful. They could hunt fallow and red deer while occasionally killing smaller animals. Being naturally shy creatures they would try to avoid human interaction just like the pumas, but as the population grows conflict is inevitable. If they are actually in Europe, attacks will soon become frequent as people encroach on their territory.
Photo/Image Credits:
- Exmoor Zoo : https://www.exmoorzoo.co.uk/animals/exmoor-beast
- Wildlife Online UK: https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/red-deer-breeding-biology and https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1035014/uk-big-cat-panther-essex-hertfordshire-hatfield-house-park-tom-pitt
- Express UK: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/855678/big-cat-sighting-UK-puma-pictured-London-garden
- When Exotic Pets Were the Accessory: https://www.messynessychic.com/2012/04/19/when-wild-pets-were-the-accessory-du-jour/
- San Diego Zoo Global: https://www.endextinction.org/wildlife-updates/cheetah-conservation
