Schoolgirl comes face to face with 'black panther' in the Forest of Dean

SCHOOLGIRL Kim Howells had a 15th birthday to remember after coming face to face with a big cat.


The Heywood pupil fled in terror after being pursued by the panther in woods near Ruspidge.

Kim was walking with her cousin Sophie Gwynne, eight, at around 8.30pm on Monday when they came across the beast lying beneath a tree.

She said: "I saw something out of the corner of my eye and at first I thought it was a log or something. We carried on walking but then I looked back and it was sitting up looking at me."

Kim said the cat was about the size of a Great Dane, black all over with big eyes and paws and a long tail. She said it was about 15metres away from them and there was no mistaking what it was.

She said: "It was definitely a big cat. I've seen boar in the Forest before and it definitely wasn't one of them. What makes me sure is that it was still light so I could see it really clearly."

As the girls walked away the creature started following them along the path.

Kim said: "Sophie was asking what it was and then we looked behind us and it was about five metres away, following us.

"I didn't know what to do so we cut through the brambles and just started running."

The girls ran all the way back to Kim's home in Ruspidge.

Kim's mum Cathy said: "They were in a real state, their feet were all cut and Sophie was in tears.

"Kim is a very sensible girl and if that's what she says she saw, that's what it is."

Cathy later showed Kim a picture of a panther on the internet and she confirmed that was what she saw.

Cathy says she has now has second thoughts about letting her daughter and niece play in the woods.

She said: "I used to think that they were much better off there than a public park or somewhere but now I'm not sure, it is a real worry."

It is not the first time a big cat sighting has been reported near Ruspidge.

In June 2007, milkman Robert Brinton got an early morning wake-up call when he encountered a big cat in Railway Road.

Earlier the same year, firefighter Peter Bishop reported a black cat sighting in Cinderford and a lorry driver from Lydney saw one on Valley Road.

(submitted by Chad Arment)

Peregrine Falcon shot in the Forest of Dean

A seven-year-old peregrine falcon has been shot dead near a Forest of Dean nature reserve.

The bird, a seven-year-old female, was found near to the RSPB's Nagshead Nature Reserve in Parkend on 2 June and after examination it was found that the bird had been shot a close range with a shotgun.

The Police and the RSPB are warning that shooting a peregrine falcon is a crime as the bird is fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Penalties upon conviction include fines of up to £5,000 or up to 6 months in prison or both. Court can also order the confiscation of any vehicle, weapon or other thing used to commit the offence.

Mark Thomas from the RSPB investigations unit said; “This is awful. Peregrine falcons are magnificent birds of prey.

"It has taken 20 years for them to recover from the devastating effects of pesticide poisoning and now, at a point when they are doing well in south west England, we are finding that they are increasingly becoming the target of people who, for reasons of their own, hold a grudge against them."

Anyone with information about the shooting should call the police directly on 0845 090 1234 (quoting the incident number 296 of June 2). Alternatively, call the RSPB in confidence on 0845 466 3636.

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/Falcon-shot-Forest/article-1102814-detail/article.html