Big cat spotted roaming UK countryside ‘was a LEOPARD’, says Tiger King star Carole Baskin
TIGER King star Carole Baskin has claimed a creature seen roaming the UK is “very likely” to be a black leopard.
A photograph recently emerged of a powerful-looking panther-like creature in long grass at a former colliery site.
The sinister snap was taken by a visitor to Whitfield Valley Nature Reserve in Stoke-on-Trent, who accompanied it with a note specifying the location.
The photographer did not sign or address the letter and dated it March 17, but gave no year.
Now expert Carole Baskin has told TalkTV she believes the creature to be a black leopard.
Speaking on Jeremy Kyle Live, the CEO of Big Cat Rescue - who rose to public prominence on Netflix’s Tiger King - also gave advice in case anyone came face to face with one of the animal.
Asked by host Jeremy Kyle if she thought it was real, Carole said: “I think it’s very likely that it is a black leopard because I’ve worked with big cats for the past 40 years and the smartest cats bar none are the leopards and the black leopards just disappear into the landscape.
"By the time you get your camera up, they’re gone. They can be right in front of you and you wouldn’t even know they were there.”
She also reassured viewers that big cats shouldn’t pose a threat to their pets, and issued her advice if anyone came face to face with a large feline.
Speaking from Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, Carole said: “I don’t think people need to worry about their pets. No leopard wants to get into it with a house cat because they recognise that that’s going to be a fight.
"They don’t want some yappy little dog because that’s more trouble than they need. They have plenty of prey out in the wild they can go after but if you were to find yourself face to face with a cat, don’t run, because then you're going to look like prey.
“So you should try to make yourself look as big as possible. In my case, and I wouldn’t recommend this to people… but in my case if I have to approach one of our cats I will step towards them and show them I am in charge.
"Even though they’re so much bigger and stronger than I am, they must think there’s something wrong with me for doing that and they’ll kind of like, back off.”