Since the 1990s there have been multiple reports of big cat activity in Oxfordshire.  

From mysterious black panthers stalking the countryside to cats the size of dogs creeping through gardens, Oxfordshire residents have had their fair share of strange animal sightings.

These are just some of the strange stories from our archives – could these creatures still be lurking around the county?

Westcot, 2000

Back in 2000, villagers in Westcot, near Wantage, reported seeing a cat the size of a Doberman roaming the countryside over the period of a few weeks.

Thames Valley police spokesman Richard Goodfellow said: "We encourage people to report sightings to us. But although all these sightings are noted, there is little we can do about it apart from offer advice about not approaching the animal.

"We then inform our wildlife liaison department who keep full records of sightings and potential sightings."

Hinksey Park, 2001  

In December of this year another big cat was spotted.

The mysterious creature was described as ‘twice as big as a domestic cat’ and was seen by Roy Jarman who opened the gates of Hinksey Park each morning.

He said: “It was about ten yards away and let out this terrifying scream, then shot off in the opposite direction."

Mr Jarman, who was 75 at the time, said he believed he saw the animal a second time when it attacked a goose on the far side of the lake by the railway line.

He said: "I heard the wild cat let out this screech again and I could tell it had the goose by a wing. All the other birds went over to the other side of the lake and geese were dive-bombing the cat.

"Whatever's out there seems pretty dangerous."

Brize Norton, 2005

In one of the most famous sightings, a suspected big cat was photographed in a field opposite the Masons Arms pub in Burford Road, Brize Norton, in 2005.

Yarton, 2005

Ian Maccormick said he was driving home to Livingstone Close in Yarnton when he stopped at a level crossing in Sandy Lane.

He described how a panther walked over the railway line right in front of him.

Mr Maccormick said: "It was definitely a big cat. It was 30 yards away and I had my headlights on full beam. It never even looked at me."

Fawler, 2005

Eileen Russell was driving in Fawler, near Charlbury, when a large, black cat leaped across the road and forced her to slam on the brakes.

She said: "I wondered what the heck it was. I couldn't believe it. I was born here and I have never seen anything like it.

"I never believed the stories before, but I do now. It was all quite a shock. It was the size of an Alsatian, but longer.

"I was so amazed, I had to come home and tell everybody. I don't know if they believed it. One person asked if I had been drinking."

Carswell, 2006

When looking out of her daughters window, Jo Naylor spotted a cat-like creature stalking the fields near her house.

When she snapped a photo of the animal it ran off into the distance.

She said: "I was looking out of the window and saw this black thing way off in the field.

"I watched it for about 10 to 15 minutes and then went to get my camera. When I got back, it was a lot closer and I managed to get a better look at it. It was just lolloping around the area. I took a picture and the flash sent it running up the field and through the woods.

"When I first saw the animal I thought it was a big dog, but the tail was much longer and it looks like a big black cat."

Stonesfield Common, 2015

A few years later in 2015 another big cat was spotted but this time on Stonesfield Common near Charlbury.

Dog walker Fraser Downer spotted a suspected big cat which was ‘slinking slowly and purposefully’ through the long grass.

He said: “I watched in almost disbelief trying to fathom out what it was but there is simply no domestic cat big enough to match.

“It’s not a tiger or lion, obviously, but I would liken it to Labrador or German shepherd size or whatever that equates to in feline terms.

“I’ve heard stories from my village about black cats seen while deer stalking but it wasn’t until I told my fiancée and we read an Oxford Mail article online that I decided to call in, for sight recording purposes really.”

Upper Arncott, 2017

Sightings of another big cat reappeared in 2017 when Lisa London says she saw a panther-like creature stroll across the road in front of her in broad daylight.

She said: "As I came out of the residential bit there were no other cars on the road.

"You go down a country road and what I saw was maybe 100 yards in front of me: it essentially strolled across the road from the right to the left then leapt into the bushes.

"It looked like a black panther – it was shiny black and there was no way it was a dog or a deer or a domestic cat, it was too big."

Mrs London estimated the creature was a metre tall and a metre-and-a-half long.

She added: “It wasn't scary – it was beautiful."

Carterton, 2020

Sisters out walking near RAF Brize Norton believed they captured footage of the 'Beast of Burford'. 

April Millin said: "I just so happened to look up through the trees and I saw what I thought was a black Labrador dog."

She explained the creature had a 'long tail' and the sisters could see it's shoulder blades as it walked.

She added: "It stopped and looked at us before walking away through some bushes.

"It was far enough in the field for us to not be able to see a domestic cat.

"This was a lot bigger, we could see it's shiny black smooth looking coat.

"It happened so quickly and I had forgotten my phone so I asked my sister to film."