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Frank
Speake has managed to take the latest footage of what could be an
ABC near Horncastle.
The Wolds have regularly had sightings of big cats.
A large
black cat was seen recently in Edlington described by Muriel Brooks
as about four feet long and around two feet tall - but this latest
one appears to be white.
Frank
was eating his breakfast when he saw the creature which he first
assumed to be a calf until he noted the way it moved - unlike a
calf and very like a cat.
Grabbing
his camera Frank rushed outside and managed to get a few seconds
video footage before the creature disappeared behind the trees.
Frank
describes the cat as quite slender but far bigger than a domestic
feline as the ground slopes down towards the trees and a domestic
cat would have been impossible to see. He reckons it was easily
the size of an Alsation dog.
Also
near the trees he found an area where it looked like a large animal
had been lying and several mauled birds.
Have a look at a larger picture of the big cat
Frank Speake captured on film >>
Some
people have claimed the footage may not be of a big cat but something
like a small pony (although seeing the footage myself, I'm inclined
to think that it is a big cat - Paul Sims).
| Frank
Speake replies to your comments about the footage here in an
email to BBCi Lincolnshire. |
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Hi
Frank Speake here.
I have been listening to this mornings breakfast programme
and found peoples reactions very interesting. Sceptics, yes
me too. I have always taken these sightings with a pinch of
salt whilst also giving credence to the fact that it is possible
that there could be escapees at large.
The animal I saw when looking through binoculars was clearly
a cat like animal and very large.I personally have never called
it a "Puma".
yes I agree it is somewhat unusual that it is white and of
course that is what gained my attention in the first place.
Everyone that has seen the film on the mini-DV tape instantly
say WOW!!! that's a big cat.
The field it was in also houses cattle, no sheep,horses/pony's
pigs or dogs!, they don't get on well with the Bull.
It would have to have been a very small pony and I would be
interested to here how such an animal could infiltrate an
area completely surrounded by hedge,barbedwire and an electric
fence.
It does clearly carry it's tail in a very cat like way and
is at least two thirds the length of it's body. It also kept
a very low profile and it's limbs moved very like a domestic
cat on the prowl, trotting? sorry, must have seen a different
film to the one I shot.
I have been told by a lady in the village that another sighting
in the same field was reported about 18 months ago and experts
were called including the police who confirmed large cat like
prints in the snow.I am told that the person who made this
sighting was very frightened,
Hoax? sorry ,well not on my part anyway, if it was I can see
no point or gain as it would only be visible at that point
from my lounge window.
I have asked for the film to be properly analysed but not
had much of a reaction to this,needs expert attention and
I would be happy to be proved right or wrong. Unfortunately
the film has not been returned to me at this time from the
TV units that used it.
Many Thanks
Frank Speake
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| Frank
Speake adds more. |
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Hi
Just a brief update on the Minting sighting.
Very mixed comments from local people some ridicule but I
have to say that the "country people", people who
have spent most if not all their lives,living and working
in and around the area agree that it is very possible we have
such animals living in the countryside.
Yesterday, Saturday, the sighting area was visited by three
gentlemen, two from the British Big Cat Society and one from
Exotic Beasts UK.
They set up models in the area of sighting and took comparisons
to the film I shot and it became very obvious to me that what
I saw was most definitely a very big animal anything smaller
than the dummy, for instance a very, very large domestic cat
would not have been visible in the location it was filmed.
When I first saw the model they brought, I thought this is
very large and maybe the animal in the field was not as large
as I thought it to be. However when it was placed in the positions
where I first observed it, it was plain to see it was very
close to what I had filmed, and when a comparison film was
taken on my camera my own personal doubts were most definitely
dispelled.
The gentleman from BBCS said that although he could not confirm
the species of the animal in the film, in his opinion there
was no doubt that it was a big cat and definitely not of the
domestic variety. It's shape size and poise taken in relation
to the size of it's head in comparison to body and tail size
would suggest it could be a Leopard, but no one has heard
of a white Leopard.
The original film shot, with film shot of the dummy animal
on my camera and film taken with BBCS equipment has been taken
away for further investigation.
There is a large domestic cat in the area which belongs to
our local ale house, which some people have suggested it may
be, however we see this animal everyday and although it is
predominately white it has other colours on it's body which
tend to break up it's body shape at distance.
By the way it has been sighted again since the 12-09-03, almost
the same place and to within 10mins of the same time.
Sorry did I say brief?
Frank Speake
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