A giant, puma-like cat is feared to be on the loose in one of London’s leafiest suburbs after a man was attacked in his own garden, police said on Tuesday.
Police were called to a house in Sydenham Park, a suburb in the south-east of the capital, in the early hours of Tuesday morning after the man saw a cat-like creature about the size of a Labrador dog roaming in his garden.
The man went out to investigate and was attacked by the creature, which he described as looking like a puma, later requiring treatment by an ambulance crew for scratches.
A police spokesperson said officers had searched the garden and were seeking advice from London Zoo and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which deals with stray animals in Britain.
”We are advising the local public if they see the animal, do not approach it, report it to police using [emergency number] 999 and keep pets indoors,” he said.
In recent years, sightings of giant cats have been reported throughout Britain, but although livestock have supposedly been attacked a number of times there have been virtually no instances of encounters with humans.
Initially dismissed by scientists as unlikely, evidence from footprints and droppings has led many to conclude that a number of big cats, perhaps released into the wild from private zoos, are roaming the country.
The notion of a puma living in London is also not as far-fetched as it might seem.
Despite its size and population, London has far more green spaces than most similar-sized cities, both in hundreds of public parks and squares and through the gardens of terraced homes, which form the bulk of its housing stock.
About 15 000 foxes are believed to live in the capital, as well as a large number of squirrels and other creatures. — Sapa-AFP