From the1960s onwards there have been countless newspaper articles and several books written about ' The British Big Cat.' Here is a small listing of some of the more well-known big cat sightings:

• The Shooters Hill Cheetah.

• The Surrey Puma.

• The Nottingham Lioness.

• The Glenfarg Lynx.

• The Cannich Puma.

• The Powys Beast.

• The Beast of Exmoor.

• The Kellas Cat.

The Dangerous Wild Animals Act was passed in the UK in 1976, which meant that owners of large cats, weather in zoos or as pets, had to have a license. As to obtain one of these licenses was both difficult and expensive, it is known that some desperate big cat owners turned their animals loose in the countryside. This resulted in a sudden increase in sightings in the late 1970s. Also prior to this act coming into force, some big cats were kept in private dwellings, and menageries, in inadequately secured enclosures. It is highly lightly that over the years some must have escaped from their flimsy enclosures, without being reported.

With photographic evidence of sightings, captures, road killings and even shootings of exotic cats in the UK, 'The British Big Cat' has moved-on from being a sort of mystical modern folklore of the 60s to a factual reality of today.  

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