What looks like a ‘big cat’ has been spotted 30 times in West Dorset since Christmas, according to a man who is trying to discover the truth about the legendary big Dorset cat.

Photographer Alan McNamee, from Bridport, is convinced of the existence of the animal.

He has now assembled a team who are ready to respond to sightings as they are reported.

Alan saw the animal close up in 2004 – an experience he said was “scary”.

He said: “I was working late one night at home and I heard a noise. I went downstairs and looked outside, towards the fields at the back of my house, and I saw that the hedge was thrashing about.

“Then I saw a large cat with a badger in its mouth.

“It leapt onto a bank and disappeared.

“It completely shook me up.”

Alan called the police who visited the scene immediately.

He said: “The police returned the next day to have a look at the area [in daylight] and they confirmed that they had found paw prints.”

Alan’s interest has now been renewed after a series of new sightings, and he has contacted a team of experts, including a ‘big cat’ expert and a specialist vet, to help establish the truth.

[via: news.bbc.co.uk/local/dorset]

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