FOR decades anyone looking to prove that big cats are on the prowl in Scotland has been forced to hike across the Highlands and lurk in lowland bushes.
But soon the hunt for the elusive beasts will take place at the click of a mouse. Investigators are set to establish a network of webcams in big cat hotspots across the country.
They hope the technological traps will be able to net conclusive evid
ence that pumas, leopards and lynx have been hiding in the heather.
The venture is the brainchild of investigative group Big Cats in Britain (BCIB). The organisation is preparing to set up its first webcam with the intention of establishing more in the future. But it is appealing for people to come forward and help identify ideal spots.
A spokesman said: "The webcam will mean that people will be able to go big cat spotting from their own home via their computer.
"We have purchased the equipment and will have a system up and running as soon as we have found the right location. We are appealing for people who own land where a big cat has been spotted on a regular basis to come forward and get involved."
Veteran big cat investigator Di Francis hopes the initiative will yield a breakthrough.
She said: "I have been working for 30 years to find irrefutable proof that there are big cats in Scotland. Hopefully, establishing a network of cameras across the country will help to take us closer to achieving our ultimate goal.
"The webcams are a whole new tactic for us. When I first started out I could never have dreamed of having something like that. We were having to lie in bracken overnight with a manual camera. Things have moved on tremendously since then."
She said the locations of the webcams would be kept secret.
"If people find out where they are, it will inevitably attracts crowds of people, which obviously is far from ideal. There is also the danger the cameras could get damaged or stolen."
Francis, who has written several books on the hunt for mystery felines, said sightings had been recorded from the Highlands to the south of England.
"You hear about a few hotspots in the media, but these animals are everywhere.
It is certainly not the case that there just a couple of these cats roaming around.
She added: "People see big cats every day, but often feel reluctant to report them as they feel they may be ridiculed."
Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that between 2000 and 2006 almost 200 sighting of big cats were reported by the public to Scottish police forces.
The most popular areas for spotting the creatures were Grampian and Fife, with 55 and 42 reported incidents. Both areas have relatively dry climates and wooded rural landscapes, which would provide ideal habitats for wild big cats.
Other hotspots include Lothian, with 30 sightings, and Strathclyde with 27.
A BCIB spokesman said: "These figures are just the tip of the iceberg. We register three sightings on average a week in Scotland. We believe there could be up to 40 big cats roaming wild in Scotland. All these people can't be wrong. It is just a question of getting the proof."
Several theories exist as to the creatures' origin. One is that the felines are descendants of animals released more than 30 years ago by individuals who didn't want to comply with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1972, which laid down regulations for keeping exotic pets.
But the most radical theory claims there is a native species of wild cat in Scotland that has not been identified to date. According to BCIB, people consistently give the same description: round head, black body and pointed ears.
In 2006, Fife Constabulary's wildlife crime unit believed they had found the first conclusive proof of a big cat – the so-called "Beast of Balbirnie".
Officers produced a plaster cast of a pawprint which experts believe is from an 18-month-old big cat, possibly a black leopard.
Nessie investigator Dick Raynor, who has overseen the installation of webcams on Loch Ness, has been providing technical assistance and advice to the monster hunters.
In 2001 Canadian Gavin Joth used a webcam to take a picture of an unidentified animal in the loch. The image won him £500 from William Hill for Nessie picture of the year, but failed to produce proof of the mythical creature's existence.
The big cat camera project, which will cost several hundred pounds per location, is being partly funded by big cat enthusiast Martin Whitley who runs a hawking centre in Dartmoor. The rest of the money will come from donations to the BCIB.
The full article contains 798 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
