EXCLUSIVE: The Daily Star goes on the hunt for the big cat that’s stalking King Charles’ country home – and we’ll do everything we can to find the panther that’s been troubling the monarch
Picture this: vast plains of sprawling greenery, a cut-off community with little to no contact with the outside world and a huge black beast roaming the area after dark. You’d be forgiven if you conjured up images of the dense rainforests of southeast Asia. But, alas, I’m in sunny Gloucestershire.
News of wild big cats are halfway between legend and a commonplace in the area. Growing up, everyone and their mother had a story connected to a sighting of a puma, panther or just a common tabby.
“I saw a huge cat clear as day while walking five years ago,” claimed one. “Bright blue eyes it had,” said another. “It was feasting on a deer. Definitely not a fox, I would’ve seen,” the postie firmly added.
But 15 years of dog walks and I had yet to catch eyes with this ominous creature. That was until I heard reports of something stirring down the road…
All eyes were on the king this week as reports emerged of a wild big cat roaming the royal grounds. The large panther was spotted hunting a fox near King Charles’ preferred estate, Highgrove House in Tetbury, Gloucestershire – with an eye-witness claiming her three dogs spooked the beast and scared it away.
This was my chance. I’m nothing if not dedicated to clearing the Cotswolds of bother. Last week I took on vice president JD Dunce in Charlbury, next week will be potholes, but today is all about big cats.
Before my venture into the wild, I decided to consult big cat expert Rick Minter about my mission. If the locals are being stalked, I felt it was my civic duty to free them. Imagine all the perfectly arranged hydrangeas it could spoil. It is simply not good enough.
Rick, who runs a big cat podcast, probes sightings of the beasts across the country. He filled me in on the Highgrove cat, and even gave me another lead in my investigation.
“Coincidentally today I have received a separate description between Tetbury and Cirencester of a black panther observed stalking a pheasant from several meters behind,” he told me. “Pheasants are likely to be part of a black panther’s diet of natural game”.
I’ve been told panthers in the UK appear to have a love for the birds, but will also settle for a rabbit.
Of course, there has actually never been official confirmation that big cats live in the wild terrains of Cotswolds, but the family friend on his fifth pint at the pub swore he saw one at the end of his field on Christmas Eve 15 years ago, and he wouldn’t lie to me… would he?
With that in mind, I armed myself with a net and my best pair of binoculars before healing out to idyllic Tetbury. Having been informed of their usual hiding jaunts by Rick, I set out to find this spectacle of the M5 – and no, I’m not referring to Gloucester Services.
Starting on the backroads of Highgrove, I parked up as close as I could get to the estate. Now owned by William, I thought it was the best place to try.
But it turns out panthers are pretty stubborn beasts. I thought a few chicken breasts from the local Tesco might lure it out, but it just attracted the wasps.
A few hours of waiting in the bushes and one gnarly sting later, I thought my time might be better spent trying to learn more about local experiences. Heading into a few nearby villages, I asked a few if they had spotted anything abnormal recently.
One resident said: “oh yes I heard about the cat. Not seen anything though”. Another had no clue what I was talking about and a third simply laughed in my face.
But I will not allow this day to turn into a cat-astrophe. Jumping in my car, I followed the lead given by a cat spotter back in May. They said the panther was seen prowling by the side of the M5. Maybe it has a love for Greggs and overpriced petrol.
Despite the slow crawling traffic, no cat was spotted feasting on sausage roll scraps. Feeling deflated, I decided to head back to Tetbury, where the adventure began.
After a few more moments lay down in overgrown grass, I almost gave up. That was until I spotted a slight movement by a tree. I whipped up my binoculars, grabbed my net and got ready to make my move. This was it. I was about to banish the beast.
That was until my eyes locked on a grump face and ginger fur. It turns out the beast was in fact a slightly-tubby persian cat who presumably lives in a neighbouring house. Admittedly rather intimidating as it barred its teeth at a creature in the grass, the beast was more teddy bear than feared apex predator.
Sorry Charlie, I tried my best. The panther may survive to prowl another day, but at least the villagers have something to talk about.
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