Published: Thursday, 24th June, 2010 7:20am
Pupil's terror after spotting 'panther' near school
by Graham Gibson
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A COMMERCIAL Primary pupil claims he was left terrified after disturbing a 'black panther' as it ate in the bushes near his school.
It is the second big cat sighting in residential areas this month after a Dunfermline man alleged to have seen a large cat on the prowl in Duloch.
Support worker Martin Shields was close to the boy when he claimed to have come face-to-face with the big cat in a small gully near Garvock House hotel and the school.
Martin said, "When he came to me he looked genuinely concerned. He told me that he had seen a big black thing in the bushes.
"He said it was a cat but bigger and was biting on something, then stopped still and looked at him.
"I asked him to show me where he had seen it.
"He initially didn't want to and only agreed to go as far as the top of the gully as long as I didn't go down. He insisted on holding a rock for protection.
"Then one morning, as we approached the school gates, a deer came jumping out of a residential area, ran into the school fence, then turned and fled down into a wooded area beside the train track that runs adjacent to Woodmill Road.
"The boy said the deer was probably running away from the 'big panther thing' and was really keen to get in the school."
Another Dunfermline resident claimed to have come close to capturing a beast on camera as it roamed around Duloch.
He stated, "I saw a very large cat during the day in the Duloch area, this beast was massive, probably six to eight times the size of a domestic cat.
"Then I saw the same beast on the prowl near Standing Stone Walk and the beast gave me the slip in to someone's back garden before I could get a picture of it."
These are the latest in a long line of big cat sightings in West Fife after around eight were recorded in the region last year, ranging from pumas to a lynx.
In October, the Press reported the story of two Valleyfield men, James McGarry and Alan Yates, who claimed they saw a large black cat while out hunting rabbits in a field at Culross, not far from the forest.
Other encounters in West Fife have included a man claiming to have come face-to-face with a Puma-like creature sat upon a hay bale at the ash lagoons in Low Valleyfield and another man seeing a large black cat in Townhill while out with his daughter.
Big Cats in Britain (BCIB) Fife representative, Bob Wallace, called on people to be vigilant, with the pupil's sighting only 500 yards from a block of apartments and near both St Margaret's and Commercial primary schools.
He said, "I am concerned that if it is a big cat the boy saw, then it is too near residential properties and two schools.
"Until we can confirm or deny it, then people need to be vigilant."
Have your say. .
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A McO
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 11:21
Comment: 11884
My children go to Commercial and walk past there to go to school and to come home. Why is this the first I have heard of this? My youngest is only 5 and there is nursery aged children walking past there every day.
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D Lavery
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 13:17
Comment: 11892
I feel the same as A McO and feel parents whose children go to Commercial and St Margarets should have been made aware of this incident, my daughter goes to Commecial also and I find this very alarming.
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NEILY-J
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 13:39
Comment: 11894
Aw please, as if there was a panther walking about the playground, if this story had been remotley true of course you would of been notified. They are taking the word of a small child whos imagination is probably out of this world. My young nephew runs around the living room with a torch looking for spooky ghosts and monsters but u dont see me running off to the press to tell them about it when he runs past saying a monster is chasing him. Get a grip yous two!!
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A McO
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 14:12
Comment: 11895
It was one of the older children at the school.
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A McO
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 14:49
Comment: 11897
Whether it is true or not, we should have been warned that this story was going to be in the local newspaper.
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NEILY-J
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 14:50
Comment: 11898
Regardless, they are still a primary school child, it was probably a stray black labrador
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Rob
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 16:54
Comment: 11905
Why? So you could all run out and buy a copy? Next you'll be wanting notified everytime your child has a no.2!
The panther has been around for years yet still no photos. It's probably just a black lab as these look more like panthers than any cat does!
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dog lover
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 20:13
Comment: 11910
es rob probley is a black lab because they dont breed them like they used to big and muscley.WE HAD BLACK CAT IN OUR GARDEN THROUGH THE NIGHT CAUSE SAW IT SO DOES THAT MEAN ITS THE BIG CAT DONT THINK SO?
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Jimmy
Unregistered User
Jun 24, 22:03
Comment: 11913
You all need to go back to school and learn how to write, grammar, spelling but most importantly respect for each other, why are people having a go at a concerned parent. The child who seen it was clearly upset, the fact a deer was then seen running from that area and the other sightings in the area of big cats might just suggest his story stacks up and as apparent myself if i had a child at that school or in that area I too would be very angry that I hadn't been informed.
Stop attacking each other, there is no need......
From an ex Dunferline resident now living in Australia
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NEILY-J
Unregistered User
Jun 25, 10:09
Comment: 11928
Does anyone know what dog lover is trying to say?
Anyway jimmy deers run from absoloutley anything so just coz its been seen running doesnt mean its getting chased by a panther or lion or tiger! This is the most ridiculous story i have ever heard in my life. Its all lies
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******
Unregistered User
Jun 25, 13:57
Comment: 11938
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******
Unregistered User
Jun 25, 14:20
Comment: 11941
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Caroline
Unregistered User
Jun 25, 16:22
Comment: 11959
You would think that with the number of people having mobile phones these days someone would have had the sence to try and get a photo? I will believe the story when I see proof.
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Bob the Builder
Unregistered User
Jun 25, 20:36
Comment: 11976
I lived in St Johns Drive long before the Garvock area was as built up as it now is, and when Garvock House Hotel was still a nursing home. Despite feeling like a jungle traveller going down the overgrown Transy Lane to Commercial I never once even saw a fox during seven years of primary schooling, far less deers or panthers. Agreed though, all daylight sightings and no concrete evidence. I'm sceptical.
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Bob Wallace
Unregistered User
Jun 26, 11:03
Comment: 12026
I was contacted on Wednesday 2nd June about this possible sighting, I investigated it on Thursday 3rd June, I e-mailed the Dunfermline Press and Fife Police that same night(Thurs 3rd June).I believe the chap mentioned in the story was going to inform the schools concerned.
Why the press then waited 3 weeks to run the story and inform the public, is a question only they can answer.
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Rob
Unregistered User
Jun 27, 08:16
Comment: 12037
Did you take a photo, doglover? No, didn't think so.
Any evidence of animals it's eaten? Any sign of tracks?
There is no panther, puma, or lynx. All there is is a child with an over-active imagination and a bunch of naive parents.
This is the Chinese Lanterns/Aliens all over again. You'd think that Dunfermline is a backwater town the way the Press reports this nonsense.
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Roni
Unregistered User
Jun 29, 00:46
Comment: 12074
Not so long ago there was an incident just outside Devilla Forest that someone hit unknown animal with their car. It was reported that the animal hair that was found on their car was taken for DNA testing.........what happened to this story????
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******
Unregistered User
Jun 29, 00:55
Comment: 12075
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Roni
Unregistered User
Jun 29, 00:55
Comment: 12076
Rob, if you are you talking about the chinese lanterns that went over Dunfermline on New Years morning I can honestly say that what I seen was NOT lanterns....after a few glasses of champagne on a completely stuffed pasta belly and having seen them previously being 'let' off and since then ..... I am adamant that they were NOT chinese lanterns!!! As a mother of 4...I would be warey! ;)
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Hazel
Unregistered User
Jun 29, 12:52
Comment: 12086
there are big cats out there and they are more scared us than we are of them
the cats would have to be really really hungry to eat a kid !!!
The cats have been around for years and so scared of us thats why there are no photos
but they were let go by people who had large cats back when it legal and easy to own one in your home when it became ilegal people would let them go and they have bread and they come to the towns for food (not humans) and what would the parents do not let your child come to school !!!???
My only concern is that if the big cats were found some hee haa would go out and shoot it !!
And I have seen proof of bigs in paw prints and a really really big scrtching post that no other animal could do
Leave the poor animal alone and it wont come near
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