AFTER an alleged panther sighting - in which a “rather large” cat was spotted stalking a Caerphilly park - we have taken a look back at the history of big cat sightings across Gwent.

It turns out that this kind of thing is not uncommon.

Quite the opposite in fact, with Gwent having been named 'big cat capital of England and Wales' back in 2002.

This is according to figures from the British Big Cat Society, who say there were more reported sightings than any other area.

There were 72 reported sightings of a big cat in Gwent during 2001.

This was the highest in England and Wales, and put famous big cat hotspots such as Bodmin Moor in Cornwall in the wilderness.

There have been regular sightings of big cats since then.

In 2003, Beverly West, of Pontypool, said he saw a "large, puma-like creature" at 5am, on April 13, as he was walking his dog near Stokes Field, near the Coleg Gwent campus.

Mr West described the creature as black,about five foot in length,with a long tail.

He reported it to the police, but a spokesperson at the time said: "The man called us 13 hours after the incident took place, so it wasn't worth sending officers to the scene."

That same year, farmer Kevin Phillips said he had "proof" a big cat was stalking the hills around Abergavenny.

Mr Phillips, who owns a smallholding on the mountains between Blaenavon and Abergavenny, took a plaster cast and photographs of what he believes to be a big cat's footprint.

Mr Phillips had two sheep mutilated the year previous and thought that a big cat was responsible because of the 'kill pattern' the animal used.

In 2004, police were called after a man claimed he saw a big cat roaming in Brynmawr.

The motorist called police as he drove along the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road.

He said the animal was a large, sleek cat with a shiny coat and yellow eyes.

At the time, the Argus was offering a £300 reward to anyone with photographic evidence of big cats living in Gwent.

The next year, a sighting was made in the hills above Cwmbran.

Norman Evans was out on a photo shoot with Gwent glamour model Hayley Evans when he saw "either a panther or as some experts have told us, a black leopard".

"I had been taking pictures of Hayley in the woods above Henllys," Mr Evans said at the time.

"I was walking around looking for another suitable spot when I saw this black shape through the view-finder."

Between 2011 and 2014, 102 sightings were made of 'black panther like creatures' across the UK, 17 of these reports made by members of the public to Gwent and South Wales Police.

Fast forward to 2020, and Jodi Hunt sent the Argus a photo, taken in a field in Newport.

South Wales Argus:

Ms Hunt said on close inspection she is positive the marks are “huge paw prints”.

This year, acclaimed BBC naturalist Iolo Williams refused to rule out the possibility that big cats could be living and breeding in the more remote wooded areas of north Pembrokeshire and south Ceredigion.

However, Iolo admitted the chances of the BBC Autumnwatch cameras unexpectedly capturing the image a large, feline predator were slim.

The most recent sighting left one Argus reader “in disbelief” after spotting a “wild cat” walking across the mountainside in Penallta.

The footage was taken around two months ago by Liam Cooper, who said he spotted the beast while in work.

After a colleague suggested the animal could be a big cat – even a panther – he grabbed his phone to record the footage before the animal disappeared behind some trees.

If you spot a big cat while out and about in Gwent, don't hesitate to let us know - although we will have to check if the £300 reward still stands.