FOUR hikers have reported being stared at by a black creature they believe could be a big cat.

The hillwalkers said the creature stared at them for several minutes before disappearing into the gorse bushes on Moel Hiraddug, near Dyserth.

One of the walkers reported the encounter to Puma Watch North Wales, a group set up to document and investigate sightings.

She said: “It stood staring at us for a couple of minutes then it ran into the gorse. There were four of us, two couples in our 70’s hill walking.”

The encounter occurred at around 12.30pm on Monday, March 28.

Tony Jones, Puma Watch founder, said: "While it’s the first sighting reported to us from Dyserth, two sets of paw prints have previously been found in the immediate area while another was found less than a mile away near Meliden.

He added that there had been other sightings of big cats only a few miles either side of Dyserth.

Mr Jones added: "Towards the coast, a 'black panther with a long tail' was spotted on the golf course adjacent to the beach in Rhyl, back in September 2021.

"A few months earlier, in May, police were called after a 'huge jet black cat' was spotted lurking in the bushes near Prestatyn train station.

"There have also been multiple sightings a few miles along the coast in the Talacre area – as well as near Abergele.

"In the opposite direction, just a few miles further inland from Dyserth, big cats have been spotted at Rhuallt Hill and in St Asaph."

 

Mystery black creature spotted in Dyserth.

Mystery black creature spotted in Dyserth.

 

The latest sighting has been added to Puma Watch's interactive map.

Tony added: "Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles. They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent.

"Just last month, we shared a report of a big cat in Leamington Spa. While we focus on North Wales and the surrounding areas, we often receive reports from further afield and have shared sightings from as far out as Scotland and Cornwall.

"As seen with Llandundo’s now-famous goats, who have taken to roaming the town’s deserted streets during the coronavirus lockdowns, it’s likely that the reduced levels of human activity over the last year is encouraging big cats to roam further from the hills into more populated areas."