‘It looked just like a puma – as I got nearer it ran off into woodlands on the other side of the road’
Caroline Barry and Olivia Bridge
20:48, 31 Jan 2026
There have been several mysterious big cat sightings (file photo)(Image: Getty Images)
A driver was ‘stunned’ to see a massive black cat dart across the country road and into a woodland nearby. The ‘ginormous’ cat was spotted near A525 near Bangor-on-Dee, in Wales.
Peter Harding reported seeing the cat when it was just 15ft to 50ft away from his car as he was passing through a Welsh village during the day. The driver insists he knows what he saw, reported the Mirror.
The 49-year-old from Penyffordd, Flintshire, insisted that it was “definitely, 100 per cent, a cat.” Peter said: “I saw this absolutely ginormous black cat run across the road in front of me. I’ve never seen anything like it before, ever. It was definitely, 100 per cent, a cat.”
“It looked just like a puma. As I got nearer it ran off into woodlands on the other side of the road. He said the animal had a “a long, muscular body, thick legs, and a large, heavy tail.”
“It looked just like a puma. As I got nearer it ran off into woodlands on the other side of the road.”(Image: Getty Images)
“It was completely jet black, there wasn’t any colour on it at all,” he said. “It almost looked unreal. The first thing I thought was, ‘What on earth is that?’ It didn’t look like it was meant to be there.”
Peter said he tried to see where it had ran off to but he couldn’t. “I slowed the car to try and see where it went, but it vanished,” he explained. “I was in a bit of shock, really. I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing.”
When he got home, Peter began researching online and that led him to be “completely convinced” that it was indeed a big cat. Peter researched similar sightings and discovered that there had been a series of ‘big cat’ sightings across North Wales in recent years.
“I honestly wouldn’t have believed it if someone else had told me,” he said. “Before this, I’d probably have thought they were mistaken, maybe a dog or something. But after seeing it myself, I’m completely convinced.”
Peter reported what he saw online then heard of another sighting in nearby Ellesmere. He said: “It must be the same animal. Ellesmere and Bangor-on-Dee aren’t far apart. I can’t imagine there’s more than one.”
“It must be the same animal. Ellesmere and Bangor-on-Dee aren’t far apart. I can’t imagine there’s more than one.”(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“I wouldn’t make something like this up. This was real, I’m still a bit in shock now. If I’d been walking my dog and saw that, I’d have been petrified. You worry about dog walkers and livestock. I think people need to be made aware so they can be cautious… It sounds mad, I know but I know what I saw. I’d never have believed it unless I’d seen it with my own eyes.”
Monitoring group Puma Watch North Wales said: “Big cats are not native to the UK, but it is thought that a population of pumas and other big cats has been living in the wild since the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 made it illegal to keep them as pets without a license.
“This led to many owners releasing their animals into the countryside.”