A man who had a terrifying encounter with a large cat during a caravan holiday in the Peak District may have been attacked by a panther, experts have claimed.
John Broomhead, 68, feared for his life when the creature lunged at him while he was on a break with his partner in Tansley, Derbyshire. The retired bricklayer was extinguishing the embers of a barbecue they had enjoyed with friends when he noticed what he initially thought was a Doberman-sized dog about 40 yards away.
However, John quickly realised it was something else entirely when he saw the animal’s bright yellow eyes and long tail. He recalled how the beast suddenly turned and charged towards him, forcing him to dive into his caravan for safety.
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(Image: John Broomhead / SWNS)
Even two years after the incident, John still suffers from nightmares and has only recently been able to talk about the traumatic experience. John, from Aintree, Merseyside, recalled: “It had been a lovely summers day and we had enjoyed a barbecue in the evening with friends. I was putting out the embers of it getting ready to call it a night at about 11pm when I heard a rustling and saw this huge black shadow out the corner of my eye.
“I thought ‘who is letting a dog out at this time? ‘ as you’re not allowed dogs out on the site unless they are on a lead and then I noticed this thing wasn’t a dog. It had been a lovely summers day and we had enjoyed a barbecue in the evening with friends.”
“It had bright yellow eyes and a long tail – I could not believe my eyes. It looked like a panther or leopard. It was three or four times the size of a normal cat. The next thing I know, it had covered 20 yards in about two seconds and these yellow eyes were bounding towards me. It just turned and charged at me.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Big cat experts have now suggested that John may have been stalked by a panther, prowling the countryside after previous sightings nearby. Rick Minter, who hosts the Big Cat Conversations podcast and penned ‘Big Cats Facing Britain’s Wild Predators’, reckons John might have had a close shave with a black panther or leopard.
He explained: “I hope to be able to speak to John in person about this case, but from his reported comments it would seem he witnessed a black leopard, also called a black panther. In their native lands, leopards can do a warning charge when provoked or threatened. This is possibly what John experienced.
“Leopards attack by surging low to the ground at blistering speed, so from what he described it is much more likely to have been a charge to warn-off John. Black leopards are the main big cats described by people across Britain. When mated together two black adult leopards breed 100 per cent black offspring.
“There are now a few DNA results to back up the UK witness reports. Leopards are incredibly stealthy and furtive. Close situations with humans are rare. They don’t usually regard us as prey but rather as a hassle factor or potential threat to be avoided.”
“With natural game like deer and rabbits so abundant here, they have a stress-free life and don’t need to take risks. Even predating on sheep seems to be becoming less frequent from feedback from my farmer networks.”
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