crosshair

Jasper we don't all have the need to google what happens in the countryside, as I said a lot of their answers are contradictory. I rely on personal observation and I don't mock those with a better knowledge than myself. But then if you have nothing better to do !!!

Yes the black variety, but I won't go so far as to say we have more in this country than anywhere in the world.

There are reliable sightings of an adult with a cub in this area, I will agree there have been tricks of light and false illusions. With our dense local forests these cats are not seen on a daily or even a monthly basis, but where they are seen is usually very remote areas, that is areas where people do not go very often.

Why is it that people who don't know the answers to the questions revert to asking Mr Google. The answers are usually given by armchair journalists who spend a couple of weeks looking for the big cats, then decide they are afraid of the dark, so their conclusion is they don't exist. For the non believers, if you are told by some of my local farmers that they have seen them, then you had better believe them, and don't make them out to be liars, unless you already have false teeth. Remember you can find conflicting answers on Google, and if asking for an answer on there is your only experience with the countryside, you want to get out more.

They have been seen too many times in my area by myself and reliable witnesses to be discredited. The question I asked a well known fox hunting man, why haven't the hounds ever risen one. He said that one day they were hunting dense forestry and the hounds were in the thick cover hunting, the riders and followers were waiting on the edge of the wood, when one pointed to the top of a forty foot Spruce. And there at the top and partly hidden was a big black cat. I think he said this was in Devon, but the same would apply in the dense forested area of South Wales or anywhere else.

Can't afford to go to the Midland Terry, poor farmer !!

Ah, so you can watch porn in moderation, I'll e-mail you some !!

Who makes these laws ?. It's well known I live on a remote farm, and it's well known my sheepdogs don't take prisoners. They are a deterrent to the theiving community, and apart from being working dogs they do protect their patch. When I go to neighbours farms I understand that their dogs are the same as mine, protective of their property, it is a hard call to prosecute every dog owner, especially if all they are doing is being protective of a remote farm. If silly laws like this become law then shooting permissions might just become a lot harder to get.

Glad you had the good news old chap, bang on !!!

Keg, It's typical, some of the loony questions I get asked by those who are supposed to have a knowledge of the countryside.

Beef and sheep farmer, and carefully watched by the EU, anti's, and everybody else that think they know more about farming than the farmers.

All the best Terry, and wishing you a speedy recovery, bet the crows are smiling up your neck of the woods .

I agree, and I'm getting worried, too many agreeing with each other on this topic

No country has ever solved their TB problem in cattle by only culling the cattle. The wildlife also has to be culled, as they are the carriers.

Gassing infected setts was banned, even though the results showed it did work and TB was reduced in that area. In France if they get a TB outbreak in cattle the local hunt culls the whole area of Badgers.