Black panther latest – Big cat ‘on the loose in Ayrshire’ as public warned to stay away from animal
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AYRSHIRE residents have been warned that a black PANTHER is on the prowl.
Cops have appealed to the public to be on the lookout for the animal, which had been sighted in the Drongan and Coalhall areas.
A public safety warning was issued by Police Scotland on Friday morning.
A helicopter was scrambled to help with the search.
Scottish SPCA Animal Rescue Officer Alistair Hill said: “We can confirm we have received reports regarding a possible panther sighting in Ayr.
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“We have liaised with Police Scotland and informed them that we are unequipped to deal with such animals and therefore will not be involved in investigating the incident.”
Police confirmed that experts had verified that the animal was a panther.
A spokesperson for the cops said: "A thorough search of the area was carried out this morning with assistance from the police helicopter.
"However, officers have been unable to trace the animal.
Frantic Peterhead farmer and gun cops cower from tiger for an hour — only to discover it is a cuddly toy
"Officers are currently liaising with a expert in order to confirm the identity of the animal."
Alan Green owns an upholstery business which overlooks the fields where the panther sighting was reported.
He said: "I've not seen it personally but where it's supposedly been sighted is just out the back of my workshop.
"I've seen the police helicopter up and roundabout.
"I'm not unduly concerned. When I first heard about it thought 'a black panther here?' but maybe it could be true."
We told you earlier this year how cops were called to tackle a tiger on the loose — and found a giant cuddly toy.
Worried Bruce Grubb, 24, who reported the fearsome big cat lurking on his farm near Peterhead, said: “I got the fright of my life.”
He called in armed officers when he spotted the striped creature crouched on a ramp in the animals’ barn.
When police arrived, they stayed safely inside their vehicles during a tense hour-long stand-off as they tried to work out how best to tackle the beast.
Mum claims to have spotted ‘Beast of Cumbria’ dubbed ‘three times the size of a cat’ roaming countryside
Earlier this month a terrified mum feared eerie photos proved a big cat dubbed “The Beast of Cumbria” is stalking the countryside on the hunt for prey.
The mysterious creature is said to be at least three times the size of a normal domestic cat — and locals say it feasts on livestock.
No confirmed sightings have been made on the elusive Beast — which some believe to be an escaped black panther.
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Earlier this year cops launched a massive hunt for a killer panther - only to discover it was a black dog.
And it's not the first time a black panther is claimed to have been spotted in the UK.
Shocking pictures of a wild cat skulking towards a couple on a Lincolnshire golf course surfaced last summer.
And a terrifying image emerged of an enormous cat prowling fields near Inverness.
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