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Big Cats In Britain: Is It A Ministry Of Defence 'Roswell' Cover Up?

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Huffington Post UK   First Posted: 29/12/11 14:34 Updated: 29/12/11 14:34

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Big cats are stalking the country lanes of rural Britain, but their existence is being covered up by Ministry of Defence, a new book claims.

Rick Minter, author of Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild Predators, claims that the body of a large black cat was carried into an RAF Base in North Yorkshire, and the corpse is now being kept in a MOD vault.

"It is at RAF Fylingdales that we have Britain's Roswell moment on big cats," claims Minter in his book, referring to the reported alien crash landing in New Mexico, which conspiracy theorists believe was covered up by the US air force.

"Retired staff apparently talked about a 'body on the table' and a witness outside the base reported a puma-like creature being trundled off in the scoop-arm of a tractor."

Big cat sightings in the UK are common according to Mark Fraser who runs the website Big Cats In Britain.

However no corpse of a puma or leopard has ever been found.

North Yorkshire seems to have the dubious distinction of being a hotbed of puma and pather sightings. A spokesperson for the North Yorkshire police told the Huffington Post UK:

"There's been various sightings over the years. Every summertime, we get a good spate of sightings right across the county, in both forest areas and close to the coast. There's never been any proof though."

Sheep and deer carcasses are hailed by farmers as evidence of a panther, puma or black leopard roaming the countryside.

A savaged sheep found sprawled across a North Yorkshire road in December 2010 was widely attributed to a big cat. At the time, PC John Wilbor told local newspaper "The Press":

“The evidence seems to fit with a possible big cat attack.”

Mark Fraser of Big Cats In Britain told the Huffington Post UK: "We get reports of big cat sightings almost every day. I don't believe there are hundreds out there though.

"He [Minter] quotes reports of a large black leopard in RAF Fylingdales. One investigator talked to a guard at the gate who saw the leopard come in. I don't believe for a second it's being kept in a vault though. The government will never admit it."

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.

FOLLOW HUFFPOST UK

Big cats are stalking the country lanes of rural Britain, but their existence is being covered up by Ministry of Defence, a new book claims. Rick Minter, author of Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild P...
Big cats are stalking the country lanes of rural Britain, but their existence is being covered up by Ministry of Defence, a new book claims. Rick Minter, author of Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild P...
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threewheelflyer
1 Fans
19:05 on 11/01/2012
ive seen a photo of a dead lynx that was shot in norfolk because it was attacking domestic animals this was never reported to any aurthorites , how many more have been shot and buried ?????????
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OB1 the Veggie
0 Fans
18:14 on 11/01/2012
The corpse of a 'big cat' locked in a vault at Fylingdales, 'covered-up' by the M.o.D. What utter TOSH! Just ask yourself why? There are many, many sightings of possible feral Leopards (mostly) and Pumas, some said to be authenticated by the way these big cats were kept as pets in the swinging 60's and then released into the wild, our wild, not theirs, when licenses had to be applied for. Nah, didn't really happen like that. There are a few genuine sightings, no question, but nutters like this and incredulous stories just make it that much more difficult for the reality to be accepted. Anyone who thinks that the M.o.D. would act like this needs to get a life!
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vividrick
95 Fans
13:16 on 30/12/2011
In the 60's & 70's, when the Government banned 'wildcats' from being domesticated pets, many were released by their owners into the countryside as opposed to them being handed in. There was a trend to own such animals, especially amongst Hippy's. So i think there are some out there, though not many, their number have dwindled through lack of food & our cold Winter's.
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The truth is out there
9 Fans
11:53 on 30/12/2011
Serriousley what is all the fuss about anyway !!.................. People in the USA live with the threat of several large predetors everyday, including Mountain Lions, Bears, Aligators etc which are all much bigger thatn any Puma, Lepord or Pantha. Large predetors are common throughout the US and have very large poulation numbers. But Humans can coexist with these creatures if they are respected and given their space. Its about time England had some more exiting Wildlife anyway, Im fed up with the most exiting thing to see in the forrest being a Squirel !!.
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tracyem67
1 Fans
11:36 on 30/12/2011
My last post was deleted for some reason? I have seen a big cat in the wild in this country in Essex. Paw prints were taken. No mystery...just the question of how it got there in the first place.
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lenuk
85 Fans
13:01 on 30/12/2011
"...My last post was deleted for some reason?..."


Perhaps. But they're quite often deleted for No reason ;-)
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tracyem67
1 Fans
11:25 on 30/12/2011
I have never understood why anyone would relate mysterious sightings of aliens with seeing a creature in the wild...even if it isnt normally associated with Britian? There is nothing mystical or fanciful about it, just a question of how it happened to be on the lose in the first place. Probably some zoo or private keeper and it got loose. Would you want to admit it... imagine it it maimed or killed someone. Do circus's have to have licenses for these animals? I used to live in a very rural spot of the country surrounded by five miles of open farmland next to the coast. Out in my back garden one day that faced across an open expanse of land as far as the eye could see I spotted quite close by what I thought was a black dog sitting in the sun. My husband and I stared at it for ages trying to figure out where the owner was etc, when it rose up and then became obvious we were looking at a big black cat. It was far too big to be a dog though it had a small head compared to its body and when it walked it rolled its shoulders. Its tail was long and out straight behind it as it slunk off out of sight into the bushes. I did call someone who came down to investigate and i think moldings were taken of paw prints.
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sbrown1450
0 Fans
11:17 on 30/12/2011
It is obvious there are big cats there are too many sighting for there not to be. It does surprise me however that people are surprised that the government cover these things up, lets face it they are no different to any other government in the world and the worst thing about it is how they control the press and media.
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lawrencepa28
0 Fans
10:49 on 30/12/2011
You are wrong about there never having been found a corpse of a big cat in Britain! There is one in the museum in Inverness. I believe it was captured or shot at a place called Cannich(?)
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blodger
2 Fans
10:34 on 30/12/2011
Walking in lovely, suburban Surrey - Ashtead Forest- came across a a dead oak tree. Up in the lower branches (8'-10' from the ground) was a half eaten deer carcase. Always made me wonder as to how it got there.....maybe??
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SwissRon
17 Fans
11:55 on 30/12/2011
Blimey. Sounds like the film Predator. Something dragged it up there!
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Ppenguinator
Life's too imprtant to be taken seriously.
165 Fans
 
21:31 on 30/12/2011
If it was a big cat, it would have been a leopard. They leave their kills in trees to rot before eating them.
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blodger
2 Fans
11:03 on 31/12/2011
Wow, Thanks for the info. I believe Leopards are very secretive animals. Ashstead forest has a large population of Deer -enough to support a lone leopard I'd have thought.. Also, just to add to the conspiracy theories; Chessington Zoo is only a mile or so away!!
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wendle
8 Fans
09:50 on 30/12/2011
They are out there Ive even seen one, only ever once, and I have heard a big cat, I do live out on Bodmin Moor and I ve seen more dead sheep laying about in fields for days and yes dogs have been blamed for their killings, but I firmly believe they are out there, and the only way sceptics will believe is when a humane is attacked by one
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Scam2
11 Fans
08:58 on 30/12/2011
And why would anyone want to cover up a story that big cats are about ? For safety reasons the opposite would be the case.
Anything to flog a book is more likely.
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jc3138119
3 Fans
08:55 on 30/12/2011
Why would the government feel the need to cover up the existance of big cats in this country? I suppose they have a Loch Ness monster and a Black Shuck too, they just let them out for a little run once in a while to keep people interested.
There may have been the odd big cat, that has been released or escaped from someones collection but there is certainly not hundreds. I have spent my whole life in the great outdoors at all hours and not once have I ever seen anything to give me the slightest hint that there are any large cats out there. A few stray dogs and cats but no apex predators. Every report of livestock attacks I have seen can be attributed to dogs, including the foot prints.
Sorry, if there are any big cats out there, it is at most, half a dozen spread throughout the country, not a breeding population. This country is too densely populated for any number to remain hidden and secret.
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Damilton
21 Fans
10:20 on 30/12/2011
Now, you've brought up Nessie. I can assure you that, as a boy I used to feed her regularly and the MOD personally hushed up her docile nature. You can be assured this story is true because I am a personal friend of all the coalition cabinet members and like them, I have never told a lie in my life. (She loves popcorn).
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rosasturtles1
68 Fans
01:48 on 30/12/2011
here kitty kitty..
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valianace
0 Fans
00:23 on 30/12/2011
Here , puss puss puss
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bjrenterprises
5 Fans
23:47 on 29/12/2011
Another load of rubbish to sell his fairy tale book. All the photos of alleged big cats I have ever seen are of ordinary moggies with the photo carefully cropped so you cannot ascertain its size against its background or whatever.
Most attacks on sheep are down to irrisponsible dogs owners who take their animals unleashed into the country side. I doubt whether any of them would inform the farmer or the police about their animals misdeeds.
Why would the ministry of defence hide such a secret and what would they gain from it.
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bexhillscrote
7 Fans
07:28 on 30/12/2011
There are also a couple of indigenous animals that attack sheep. One of them is the Fox, the other one, we are not allowed to mention.
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daibach
1 Fans
11:34 on 30/12/2011
muslims are'nt indigenous....silly
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