Claws for thought*

Much in the press re a possible sighting of a big cat in Sydenham Park, South East London. And by big cat, I don't mean a fat tabby, I'm talking Genus Panthera-style.

An armed police team (complete with Tasers) has descended on the area, closely pursued by a presspack bored with the election run-up: see Guardian article, Evening Standard, The Times and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Notable quotes from the locals include:

Billy Rich: "It was big and black and I thought, fucking hell, what was that?"
Mr Rich's ex-wife: "The only beast of Sydenham is him."

Kelly Wood: "I wouldn't let my little boy Morgan go out and play today. He's 19 months. I think he's quite an edible size."

Anonymous resident: “Do me a favour. It may be a jungle here, but this is Sydenham. Big cats? Get out of here.”

The Great British Public. God love us.

Sightings of these beasts have occurred around the British Isles, most famously those of the Beast of Bodmin Moor and the Beast of Burford.

They have seized the public imagination to the extent that groups exist to monitor and report on the phenomenon including The British Big Cats Research Group (formerly the Scottish Big Cats Society, I think) and The British Big Cats Society.
Dunno if they are affiliated, so we could be looking at a turf war here...

Fact of the day: A panther is not a species of feline. It is any big cat that has melanism - most usually a jaguar or a leopard.

*Before you judge, rejected titles were "Cat's Amazing!", "Sheer (Khan) Terror" and "You'll Like It, But Not An Ocelot".