A homeowner in a quiet Worcestershire town has been left stunned after his security system captured footage of what appears to be a large, unidentified predator prowling his neighbourhood in the dead of night.
The Midnight Visitor
Steven Searle, 51, was woken at 2.23am on Sunday, 28 December, when his CCTV was triggered at his home in Malvern. The system, which he has calibrated to ignore smaller animals, only normally activates for people or cars. The footage revealed a dog-sized, shadowy creature moving deliberately along his neighbour's driveway.
"I woke up as our CCTV was set off and caught what looks to be a black jaguar-type big cat walking up the neighbour's path," Steven explained. He emphasised the animal's significant size, noting its head was level with the bonnet of a car and that it was far larger than any domestic cat. "None of the domestic cats in the close have ever done that. It only ever gets triggered by people or cars," he added.
Corroborating Evidence and Local History
This sighting is not isolated. Steven reported that a neighbour further up the road also witnessed a large animal walking past his house late at night, though he had no recording. The incident adds to a growing body of anecdotal and physical evidence suggesting non-native predators may be living wild in Britain.
Just last year, Professor Robin Allaby of Warwick University found DNA evidence from the 'Panthera genus'—which includes lions, leopards, tigers, jaguars, and snow leopards—on a sheep carcass in the Lake District. His research suggested as many as 100 big cats could be at large in the British countryside.
Furthermore, Worcestershire itself has a recent history of suspected big cat activity. In June, a half-eaten deer carcass was discovered in the Wyre Forest near Bewdley. The remains, found in an enclosed area with barbed wire, had its insides devoured. Passerby Jessica Lodge, who found the deer, stated, "I absolutely think it's possible it was done by a big cat. There have been other sightings too."
A Persistent British Mystery
The Malvern footage has reignited debate about the existence of elusive big cats in the UK. While definitive proof remains elusive, the combination of credible eyewitness accounts, specialist CCTV triggering, and forensic DNA analysis points to a mystery that continues to captivate and unsettle communities.
For now, residents in areas like Malvern are left looking over their shoulders, wondering what else might be moving through the darkness beyond the glow of their security lights.
