My friend and I saw a big cat on Exmoor in 1982 | Letter
Steve Jones responds to Max Lury’s report of seeing a big cat on Dartmoor as a child, and not being believedI believe you, Max Lury (A moment that changed me:...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Steve Jones responds to Max Lury’s report of seeing a big cat on Dartmoor as a child, and not being believed I believe you, Max Lury ( A moment that changed me: I saw a big cat on Dartmoor – and no one believed me, 8 April ). I was walking across Exmoor in 1982 as part of the outdoor education module in my teacher training. A college friend and I (we are both biologists) were walking across an area of rough grassland with shallow ditches running across and slightly down the slope, which had a mixture of overgrown heather and gorse along the top of the far side of the ditch. We were in good visibility about 70 to 100 yards away from this particular ditch, mid-morning, when we saw a large, tan-coloured, low-slung animal running away from us down this ditch. It had a blunt face and a long tail with a bushy bit at the end. The tail curved upwards, and in the act of running, the creature arched its back to allow its front legs to project further forward. Continue reading...