Breed of big cat spotted in Wakefield seen roaming Batley countryside 20 years ago

Jeff Johnson shared images with the Wakefield Express that show an animal at Heath Common he believed to be an unusual breed.

After watching the footage, aerospace engineer Adam Windle got in touch and said he saw an almost identical animal while playing football outside Batley Sports Centre.

He said: “One summer we all had a kick about and we saw what we first thought was a massive black dog. The thing ran like the Puma badge and it became evident this was a big black cat.

“There were 30 lads there all with their jaws on the floor.

"I was just so perplexed I didn't have time to be scared. We're not in deepest, darkest Peru - this is Batley.

"Without a shadow of doubt it's the most impressive thing I've ever seen except for the birth of my daughter.”

Jogger spots 'big cat' on the loose in Wakefield

Mr Windle said he had heard that big cats had been released into the wild by wealthy owners in Yorkshire who kept them as pets until the law changed in 1976 when the government introduced the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

He said referred to sightings across the county in recent years supported the idea and pointed out

He believed they may have been able to breed.

Asked if the animal he saw resembled the one caught on camera in Wakefield earlier this week, he said: “It looked identical. Absolutely one and the same.

He added: “I'm usually a sceptic on this kind of thing and I'm not saying I would have been so rude as to call someone an outright liar if they told me this story but I’d have my doubts.”

Mr Windle, who lives off Soothill Lane in Batley, said was familiar with the “Beast of Ossett” stories from across the border in the Wakefield district.

That story hit national headlines in 2000 when observers likened it to a big black Irish wolfhound.

Three years later there was a report of a large black cat stalking the village of Wintersett.

There were also sightings of a panther or puma-like beast roaming between Alverthorpe and Ossett in 2006.

An animal, smaller than a Labrador but bigger than a cat, was spotted along a disused railway track between Wintersett and Newmillerdam in 2009.

A “panther-like beast” was spotted roaming farmland in Notton in 2011.

And an animal that appeared to be a big cat was caught on CCTV at the Piece Hall in Halifax in 2020.

However this turned out to be a publicity stunt for Halifax RLFC as the club’s was changed to Halifax Panthers.

VIDEO: Watch the moment a big cat is seen prowling around the Piece Hall

Regarding the sighting at Heath Common earlier this week Mr Johnson, from Normanton, said: “I just saw something jet black I thought ‘what the hell is that?’

“When I looked over again I thought ‘that's massive’ and I pulled over into a layby.

"For me it was definitely no dog or normal cat. I've heard about people seeing big cats but it’s not something I’ve ever seen before.”