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Panther on the prowl
Could there be a panther on the loose in Golborne?
POLICE are investigating a series of animal mutilations, which could be the work of a panther.
The partially-eaten bodies of three adult swans and two dead lambs were found at Three Sisters Recreation Area on Golborne Road, Golborne, and at an adjoining farm.
The discovery comes a fortnight after at number of civil servants from the DWP’s benefits call centre at nearby Griffin House, in Bryn, told of seeing a panther-like animal sunning itself in a tree, and on the roof of a building from their office windows.
Police today would not comment directly on the claims that a potentially dangerous wild animal is stalking the site.
However, officers from Bamfurlong Police Station are known to have interviewed Julie Fairclough, who first spotted the big cat, specifically about her shock sighting.
A spokesman for Wigan Police said: “On Friday, February 11, police were called to Golborne Road, Wigan, following reports two lambs had been found dead.
“At just after 10am on Sunday, February 13, police were called to the Three Sisters Recreation area following reports three swans had been found dead.
“Officers from the Ashton-in-Makerfield Neighbourhood Policing Team, the Hindley Neighbourhood Policing Team and the division’s wildlife crime officer are supporting inquiries being made by the Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Ranger Service.”
A spokesman for Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, which manages the Three Sisters site, said: “We can confirm that three swans have been found dead since Sunday. We have been liaising with the police and are investigating the matter.
“We have contacted experts to help us identify the type of animal that may have carried out these attacks.”
Mrs Fairclough, who has completed 30 years service for the DWP, said today that she was pleased that the police were taking the issue seriously.
But she made a plea that if a big cat is at large on the sprawling Three Sisters site, it must not be shot.
She wants experts to mount a humane operation to have it captured safely, and then released into a zoo park.
Mrs Fairclough, of Hindley, plus half a dozen of her colleagues at the DWP, spotted the mysterious black beast from their office windows.
The creature was observed for some time at about 150 yards away, at one point climbing a tree and settling in to survey its unlikely territory.
It then jumped on to a wall and a roof, before disappearing into the undergrowth.
Three Sisters, formerly a colliery site named after three now-flattened volcano-shaped pit rucks, connects with open land as far away as Bickershaw and Abram.
Mrs Fairclough said: “I’ve got a tom cat called Oliver who weighs in at a stone and four pounds, so I know the difference between a big pet and this amazing animal.’’
But Wigan Leisure Trust’s countryside manager Graham Workman, who was once called out by police after reports of a lion stalking through the undergrowth of Worthington Lakes, still believes the six benefits staff were mistaken.
Three Sisters wardens fear that the attacks could be the result of lurcher-owners illegally training their dogs to hunt – or a large dog fox.
Mr Workman warned: “Animals seen at that type of range with the naked eye can be very difficult to identify accurately.’
“Animals like this have to be registered with the local authority under the Dangerous Wild Animals legislation, but there are none registered here, so there are none that were living legally in captivity here in the borough or the surrounds.
“I believe that the staff have seen, literally, a big domestic black cat, and the perspectives have been playing tricks on them.
“I have been over there in the snow many times this winter.
“I have never seen any tracks that could suggest we have a creature anywhere near that size ranging around Three Sisters.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 18 comments to this article
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cheryl
Friday, February 25, 2011 at 10:01 PMWould the people who have witnessed this big cat or indeed any big cat please send an email to singingsheryl@msn.com or get in touch with us at www.bigcatsinbritain.org as a matter of urgency. Thank you.
Christian
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 04:21 PMI hope as .Mrs Fairclough says, let experts mount a humane operation to have it captured safely, and then released into a zoo park.
honk2
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 03:23 PMMasters and peeweerug can you contact me on at Three Sisters recreation Area on (fots.tsra@blueyonder.co.uk) also peeweerug can you email the photo to me for identification, Sometime between Saturday night 12th and Sunday morning 13th two adult swans were killed on Three Sisters. Without being too graphic one swan was almost completely eaten and the second was part eaten; it is thought that predator was disturbed before it could eat the second swan. Sometime between Monday night 14th and Tuesday morning 15th a third swan was killed and a large amount was eaten. There have been foxes on Three Sisters for years but this has never happened before and it’s highly unlikely that a dog fox (which weighs on average 6 to 8Kg) will tackle and kill an 12Kg healthy adult swan and then eat most of it in one go. The staff at the DWP saw a large cat like animal on a wood stack and the roof at Northwest Timber, their office overlooks the wood yard. A similar sighting has been made near to Baldwin’s farm and on Viridor Wood, also large prints were found in the snow on the fields near Viridor wood during the snow, this is the area where the sheep were killed and part eaten, the prints were not made by a dog. All these reports are from reliable people; whatever is killing the swans remains a mystery at this time. Three more swans have since been killed, one SaturdaySunday 1920 Feb and two last night or this morning 2122 Feb.
peeweerug
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 10:04 AMI walk over the Three Sisters, on a regular basis. I saw the feather patches, from the birds. On Sunday, 20211, i noticed a large pawprint, near some feathers, and took a photo of it. There where a few dog pawprints, but this one didn't look like a dog. If i could upload this photo, i would be interested if anyone could identify it for me.
masters
Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 09:32 PMThis story is true it's been around for at least 7months me and my wife and daughter have seen it four times around my farm we have not reported it because people would not beleve it in the last month I have lost four ducks it is not a fox because it would have killed them all and we could not find any feathers also about two month ago a lady off the new estate off park lane was out walking her dogs she called at the farm and said she had seen a big black cat let's hope they catch it before it gets out of control
paulm
Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 06:08 AMok i know why my 1st comment was removed, it was just a little sarcastic humour, but we've go to be P C. But i still say that if that's a panther i'll knit fog !
Oldtomcobblerhindleybrynwhelleyince
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 08:49 PMI've always said that there's nowt like Wigan wildlife. MAny hours I sit and watch the mature through my window. Isn't it marvelous? Personally from my amateur political contacts I know there are actually packs of panthers roaming hindley, Ashton, Abram, bamfurlong and both higher and lower ince. These areas have perfect conditions for them whereas the billinge hill and roby mill areas dont and none have been seen there.
RealityCheck
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 10:46 AMFirstly, Graham Workman is totally wrong about people's ability to judge size at distance. Tests have been conducted using model black cats and, even with just a two-second view, it was proven that people are actually VERY good at judging an animal's size. Secondly, if six people watch an animal for several minutes, and they all believe it to be a big cat, it was a big cat. We should remember that panthers are only two feet high at the shoulder - not lion-sized. If the police are genuinely interested to find out what has killed the swans and lambs, they could DNA-test the saliva residue. But they won't. Because their general stance is to say they're taking sighting seriously, and do nothing, which they believe causes less alarm. The last thing they want is a positive result.
TeaForTwo
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 08:12 AMSome of you lot are so dismissive of things and seem to make pointless comments presumably as you have nothing better to do. What if it turns out to be a panther or something after all and someone actually gets hurt. Mind you, you'd probably have something senseless to say about that an all...
paulm
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 07:35 AMComment removed by moderator
bus driver
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 09:41 PMthere you are tiggles....
jo mc
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 07:30 PMWhen was three sisters moved to golbourne ?
elven
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 06:58 PMDNA swabs will show what the attacker is (bet it's a black dog!). ((Why don't DWP staff look out of the window in the mornings? Because they'd have nowt left to do in the afternoons!))
aria
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 06:55 PMsince when has the 3 sisters been in golborne?
stopwatch
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 06:07 PMYou would think that some one would miss a Panther.. 'I haven't seen the cat for a few days' Our meat bill didn't seem to be as much this week as last week....
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