Mystery ‘big cat’ captured prowling near Scottish trout fishery

A mystery feline captured on camera has sparked a huge online debate – with some claiming it could be a ‘big cat’.

David Duff filmed the animal from his balcony at Ledyatt Trout Fishery near Lundie, Scotland, where he has spotted it regularly for 18 months.

He described the animal as being between a ‘Labrador and a cat’, with a ‘rusty brown’ coat, black stripes and rings around the tail.

His clip, filmed at the Ledyatt Trout Fishery in Lundie, Angus, has been viewed more than a million times.

Mr Duff said many had commented the animal resembled a bangle cat, a muscular feline with a wild appearance, however he insisted it looked ‘nothing like it’.

But he said: ‘It’s not conclusive; it could be a hybrid, a wild cat.

‘It’s very hard to judge the scale and beauty of the animal from that video.’

The fishery owner added the cat was meat lover, and that he had seen it around 20 times in 18 months hunting rabbits and climbing trees.

He said he was unsure whether the ‘beautiful and massive’ cat was male or female, but that he was not surprised it had chosen to make the fishery its home.

Mr Duff added: ‘He is very elusive; he is beautiful and massive – it’s just awesome to have him here.

‘The terrain here is absolutely perfect.

‘There’s loads of animals – it’s a mecca for wildlife, and it’s no surprise that this animal would make it its home.’

Experts at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) suggested the animal may have some ‘wildlife ancestry’ and could be a hybrid, given where it was spotted.

The charity said it would not be able to determine the cat’s exact identity without genetic testing or further footage.

Mr Duff said he had also spotted another mystery female on his land, this one much lighter than the one pictured in his video.

He explained: ‘It’s a magnificent area for a predator. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to scare wildlife away. It means I am doing everything right.

‘Whether it’s a domestic cat, a cross, purebred, it’s such a buzz to think that an animal has chosen to turn Ledyatt Trout Fishery home.

‘It’s a testament to everything we do.’

Hundreds of online viewers debated the identity of the feline, with some speculating it could be a wild cat.

One wrote: ‘What a capture! I would say wild cat with the stripes but hard to tell with the way it extended out her or his body.”

‘Hard to tell if it’s a wild cat or not. Tail would suggest it is’, another commented.

Others were convinced that the huge cat is in fact someone’s well-fed pet.

One wrote: ‘Domestic cat, tail is wrong for wild cat.”

Another added: ‘Not a wildcat, the tail isn’t thick enough.’

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