A giant puma-like cat was feared to be on the loose in one of London's leafiest suburbs on Tuesday after a man said he had been pounced on by a creature, which then stood hissing on his chest.
Anthony-John Holder, who escaped with scratches and bruising after the incident in his garden in Sydenham Park, a suburb in the southeast of London, said he feared the animal could kill someone.
Holder, 37, had ventured to the bottom of his garden late on Monday after hearing his own pet cat howling.
"All of a sudden I see this big black thing pouncing at me, knocked me flying. I was just stunned with it all," he told the London-based radio station LBC.
"I just didn't know where I was, and the next thing there was this big black figure laying on my chest," he said. "It was growling, growling at me and hissing and it then started scratching."
Holder said he had used "brute force" to push the animal, described as being roughly the size of a Labrador dog, away from him.
"This thing knew what it wanted. If I was weak ... I think it could have killed me and then it could have gone on to hurt my family and everything else. I do think it would have done damage to someone," he said.
Police, who were called by the terrified Holder, said they were seeking advice from London Zoo and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which deals with stray animals in Britain.
"We are advising the local public if they see the animal, do not approach it and to report it to police using [emergency number] 999 and to keep pets indoors," a spokesman said.
In recent years, sightings of giant cats have been reported throughout Britain, but although livestock have supposedly been attacked a number of times, there have been virtually no instances of encounters with humans.
Initially dismissed by scientists as unlikely, evidence from pawprints and droppings has led many to conclude that a number of big cats, perhaps released into the wild from private zoos, are roaming the country.
The notion of a puma living in London is also not as far-fetched as it might seem.
Despite its size and population, London has far more green spaces than most similar-sized cities, both in hundreds of public parks and squares and through the gardens of terraced homes, which form the bulk of its housing stock.
Around 15,000 foxes are believed to live in the capital, as well as a large number of squirrels and other creatures.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS