A teen camper was left shocked after recognizing a 'panther' feeding on a lifeless sheep within the Peak District - sparking considerations that the massive cat is roaming the British countryside. Josh Williams, 17, and his good friend Ben Burns had spent the night time wild tenting after they seen the massive animal close to Jacob's Ladder on Monday.
The hillwalker mentioned they had been heading in direction of Mermaid's Pool on Kinder Scout in direction of Edale after they noticed the beast in a close-by discipline. They initially thought it was a wild cat and will hear it chomping on the carcass of what gave the impression to be a lifeless sheep, the Mirror stories.
Josh - who was in a position to file the second on his cellphone - mentioned he was satisfied the creature was an enormous cat and seemed distinctly like a panther, nonetheless he could not be particular because the animal was a big distance away and by no means rotated. He mentioned: "We had been each confused once we first noticed it.
"We stood watching it and questioning what it could possibly be for round 5 minutes earlier than I made a decision to start out recording in order that I might zoom in and get a greater look. We tried attracting its consideration in order that it might flip and face us, in order that we might get a greater understanding of what we had been .
"We truthfully had no thought what it could possibly be if not an enormous cat. It was in a discipline of sheep with no totally different animals round, and it appeared to have a protracted black tail, so it undoubtedly wasn't a sheep."
He added: "We did not hear a lot noise coming from the wild cat, simply the occasional crunch, which made me assume it was feeding on one thing like a lifeless animal – more than likely a sheep. We might immediately inform it was one thing totally different the second we laid eyes on it – we each noticed it on the identical time and gave one another a confused look.
"I might inform we had been each considering the identical factor because the day earlier than, we had been really discussing the opportunity of us working right into a wild cat while on our journey. The animals round it had been seemingly unbothered, however they had been definitely conserving their distance, as in the event that they had been used to this occurring. It was eerie.
"The large distinction to its environment gave it away – the jet black silhouette caught out amongst its environment like a sore thumb."
Josh and Ben continued to attempt to catch the wild cat's consideration however had been reluctant to enter the sphere the animal was in over fears for their very own security. The teenager mentioned: "We had been standing wanting on the animal for round 10 minutes attempting to get its consideration, but it surely did not budge – it simply saved doing the very same factor it was doing within the video.
"We did not go nearer as we had been behind a fence and did not need to run the danger of changing into cat meals. The rationale we did not keep for longer was that we had a practice to catch and had been working a bit behind on time after watching this animal for thus lengthy.
"It simply remained in the identical place as we walked away."
Josh mentioned he was honoured to have captured footage of his potential wild cat encounter - and everybody he has shared the video with was shocked at their discovery.
He added: "We did not shut up about what we noticed the complete method dwelling, telling one another it may possibly't presumably be a wild cat.
"However then that additionally begs the query, what the h**l is it? I confirmed the video to my faculty tutor and pals to ensure I wasn't going loopy and so they had been all in disbelief.
"I used to be glad I managed to seize it on video after the occasion unfolded as I knew that no one would imagine me if I informed them I had seen a panther within the Peak District the primary time I went tenting."
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