A mother has told how she spotted a panther prowling through her residential estate as she took out the bins. Clare Hodges, 51, said she snatched a quick picture then dashed back in "quicker than I have had in my life".
The mum-of-eight is now frightened to leave her home after clapping eyes on the beast in the Ryehill area of Northampton. She said: "It was terrifying. I was putting the bins out when I heard a noise behind me."
Camera ready for fox photo
Hodges explained she had her camera ready because neighbours had been leaving out raw lamb for a vixen in the area. She said: "The neighbours had been leaving out some raw lamb for a lovely vixen we have in the area at the minute and we'd been trying to get a photo of it for some time, so I had my camera ready already."
She added: "So I thought it was the fox and turned to get a quick image and then within a second or so I thought 'oh s**t, what is that?' It was very big and I just ran quicker than I have ever done in my life into the house, shut the door and showed my partner Joseph."
Fear for children's safety
Hodges initially thought it could be a big dog, like a Dalmatian with no spots, but then noticed the tail was not like a dog at all. She said: "It's actually terrifying how close to homes it has decided to get. Panthers can be extremely quick and could have got either one of us if it had wanted. I'm worried for the safety of my daughter and other children in the area now."
Her 11-year-old daughter has autism and lives "in her own little bubble", making her unaware of danger. Hodges also noted that all the cats in the area had not been out for a few days before the sighting, suggesting the panther may have been nearby for some time.
Recent big cat sightings
The sighting comes after two recent big cat reports in the region. On July 16, a sighting occurred near Gretton, a village north of Corby. On August 6, a large black cat was seen in a field near Deenethorpe, five miles south-east of the first sighting.
Hodges, a full-time carer, took her photo on August 18, around 25 miles south of the second sighting. Panthers can travel 20 miles in a day searching for prey. She believes the creature could have come from Harlestone Firs Forest, an area of vast woodland a couple of miles from her home.
She posted the image on Facebook, where some doubted its authenticity. She said: "Some said it was AI but it really isn't - I wouldn't know how to do that anyway and I don't have the time to looking after my daughter. But people can think what they like, but we know what we saw."
Big cat expert Tim Whittard said: "If authentic then this shows a very large feline animal alarmingly close to people's homes." Northamptonshire Police said the latest sighting had not been reported to them.
