What are the Big Cats?
Big cats have been regularly seen in Suffolk since the early 1970s. They are generally thought to be the descendants of escaped or released exotic big cats – melanistic (black) leopards, pumas and lynxes – that had been kept as pets. Some could be feral domestic cats that have over the generations grown to a great size.
Evidence
Since 2014 I have been gathering evidence for big cats in Suffolk. This is in the form of testimony from witnesses, media reports, police logs of sightings, big cat footprints, reports of livestock or wildlife showing signs of having been predated on by big cats and other sources. There is also a very limited amount of video footage.
Report a Sighting
Have you seen a big cat, or encountered other evidence – heard sounds that you thought were made by a big cat, seen “field signs” such as footprints or scratch marks, or “kill signs” – signs of possible big cat predation on animal carcasses? Historical sightings you have had, even decades ago, are still of interest.
Phone me or fill in a form online.
Latest News
- The Ling lioness – puma encounters in the 1990s on the Norfolk-Suffolk borderSuffolk Tales, original linocut by artist Gill Thornton, gill-thornton.co.uk inspired by reported sightings of big cats roaming the Suffolk countryside. Used with her kind permission. Back in June 2025 I was contacted by Gill Thornton,…
The Ling lioness – puma encounters in the 1990s on the Norfolk-Suffolk border
Suffolk Tales, original linocut by artist Gill Thornton, gill-thornton.co.uk inspired by reported sightings of big…
Interesting footage from Darsham in Suffolk
I was sent some interesting footage of a black cat moving around a freshly harvested…
Evidence for lions in Roman Britain – bite marks on a gladiator’s skeleton from York
Analysis of a human skeleton from what is a believed to be a cemetery for…
An 18th-century caracal wildcat and its keeper in the Tower of London
An Asian caracal wildcat, a gift to the East India Company from the Nawab of…
Bigcatsofsuffolk.com on Channel 5 News, in the Mail, in the Daily Star…
My appearance on Channel 5 News, 9 June 2025. It’s been…
Bigcatsofsuffolk in The Daily Star
Bigcatsofsuffolk.com and myself get a mention in today’s (8/6/25) front page Daily Star on Sunday…