Biologist Recounts Convincing Exmoor Big Cat Encounter from 1982
In a compelling account that adds weight to long-standing rumours of big cats roaming the British countryside, a biologist has detailed a personal sighting on Exmoor in 1982. Steve Jones, responding to a recent Guardian letter about a similar experience on Dartmoor, shared his story of encountering a large, mysterious animal during a teacher training exercise.
The Sighting: A Detailed Description
Jones, who was walking with a college friend as part of an outdoor education module, described the moment they spotted the creature. "We were in good visibility about 70 to 100 yards away from this particular ditch, mid-morning, when we saw a large, tan-coloured, low-slung animal running away from us down this ditch," he recalled. The area featured rough grassland with shallow ditches, overgrown with heather and gorse.
The animal exhibited distinct physical characteristics that left a lasting impression:
- A blunt face and a long tail with a bushy end
- A tail that curved upwards as it moved
- An arched back during running, allowing front legs to project further forward
"We both saw this animal for about six to eight seconds before it disappeared," Jones noted, emphasising the clarity and duration of the observation. Both trained biologists, they immediately turned to each other and simultaneously exclaimed: "That's a very large cat!"
Professional Assessment and Conclusion
Drawing on their biological expertise, Jones and his friend were convinced the animal was either a puma or a mountain lion. This conclusion was based on the creature's size, colouration, and distinctive running gait. "So there was definitely at least one big cat out there in the 1980s," Jones asserted, challenging scepticism about such sightings.
The account supports other reports, like Max Lury's childhood experience on Dartmoor, highlighting a pattern of credible witnesses encountering unexplained feline predators in remote UK landscapes. These stories continue to fuel debates about wildlife mysteries and the possibility of non-native species surviving in Britain's wilderness.
