A possible black panther sighting has been reported in Nailsworth after a resident described seeing a large black cat in the Newmarket valley during the early hours of Saturday.
The witness said the animal was seen at about 6.15am beside flats on the site of the former Hilliers factory. It was reportedly looking down towards land near the former meringue production facility at Terretts Mill, on Newmarket Road.
The account has been circulating on social media, but the animal has not been identified and there has been no independent confirmation that the sighting was a big cat.
What the resident described
According to the report, the creature appeared to be slightly larger than a dog. The witness said it had what they considered to be a feline body shape and a long, cat-like tail.
The location places the reported sighting in the Newmarket valley, close to former industrial sites and land around Terretts Mill. The supplied account does not state how long the animal was visible, whether anyone else saw it or whether photographs or other recordings were taken.
It also does not identify the resident. The report therefore describes what one person says they saw, rather than establishing the presence of a large cat in Nailsworth.
Other reports in Gloucestershire
The latest account comes after a number of alleged big-cat sightings were reported across Gloucestershire in recent months. Big-cat researcher Rick Minter recently told Stroud Times he had received several reports of large black cats in southern Gloucestershire, including two separate accounts within a fortnight.
Minter has previously said that descriptions of animals referred to as black panthers can be consistent with melanistic leopards. These are leopards with black colouring. However, the source stresses that there is no confirmed evidence that such animals are living wild in the Stroud area.
Stroud has a longer history of reported big-cat sightings, with previous accounts from Whiteshill, Chalford and the wider Stroud valleys. Those reports provide background to the latest claim but do not verify it.
Residents invited to share information
People who believe they saw the animal, or who have had a similar experience in the area, have been invited to contact Stroud Times. No official wildlife assessment or police confirmation is included in the supplied material.
For now, the Nailsworth report remains an unverified sighting. It should not be treated as confirmation that a black panther, melanistic leopard or any other large wild cat is living in the Stroud district.
