Clwyd West Assembly Member Darren Millar has asked the Welsh Government what research it is undertaking into big cats in Wales following a number of sightings in recent years in Denbighshire and Conwy.
Darren raised the matter with the Natural Resources Minister, Carl Sargeant AM, in the Senedd this week after being alerted to sightings of the wild animals in his constituency.
He said:
“There have been a number of sightings over the years of big cats in the Welsh countryside, including in Conwy and Denbighshire, with tracks having been found in the snow a few years back in the Clocaenog Forest and a number of farmers having lost livestock mysteriously which show signs of big cat type attacks.
“I wonder what research the Welsh Government may have commissioned on the subject of big cats, and the threat that they might pose to native wildlife species.”
The Minister said the Welsh Government has not commissioned any work on big cats.
Darren added:
“There has been a flurry of sightings of big cats since the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 made it illegal to keep untamed pets. Many owners of exotic cats such as pumas or lynx simply freed their animals into the countryside. It is worrying that despite there being a number of sightings across Wales, the Welsh Government is doing nothing about it.”