Pars legend is latest to spot 'puma'
Matt Meade • Published 27 May 2011 08:00
7 Comments
A PARS legend is the latest West Fifer claiming to have seen a big black cat.
Alex Edwards (pictured), who made 346 appearances for Dunfermline Athletic from 1962-71, said he saw a large feline, possibly a puma, while out walking his daughter's dog recently in Cairneyhill.
And the 1968 Scottish Cup winner told the Press, "I know what I saw."
Mr Edwards, of Hilton Road, was walking at Forrester Park Golf Club, Pitdinnie Road, at around 7.30am last week when he spotted the animal about 100 yards away through binoculars.
He said, "At first I thought it was a dog but not the way it was walking.
"I thought it was maybe one of (landowner) Bobby Forrester's big black poodles.
"It was just walking along before disappearing into long crops."
When asked what he had thought about previous reports in the Press of similar sightings he added, "I never believed them. I thought these guys were crackers.
"But it's been spotted a few times in Cairneyhill, I've heard.
"I saw something that wasn't a dog but a large cat bigger than a Labrador."
He waited around 20 minutes to see if the animal would reappear but caught no other sight of it. He called Mr Forrester to tell him about his experience. The landowner confirmed he had received the phone call.
Mr Edwards laughed, "He said the cows will kick it. He said he wasn't worried about his young calves because he has large dogs."
The sighting follows another recent report where a large cat was said to have been spotted by two witnesses in a housing estate in Lochore.
Bob Wallace, West Fife representative for Big Cats in Britain, said, "The Lochore sighting is one I can't understand - why it would be in a housing estate I don't know.
"The Cairneyhill sighting seems a lot more feasible."
He said there were fewer sightings in Devilla Forest, near Kincardine, due to noisy building works taking place there which may have scared any large cat away.
He also said a recent sighting at Pitreavie running track, reported in last week's Press, "surprised" him.
The Press received a call from David Laing, a coach at Pitreavie AAC, who said he believed that sighting was simply of a large black domestic cat that had been spotted regularly around the club.
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
-
topcat
Unregistered User
May 27, 14:42
Report commentHmmm, big curly haired, odd shaped, black poodle or sleek haired, muscular, feline shaped puma? Tough one that. Had he just left the Forresters after an all night lock-in?
Recommend?
Yes 0
No 0
-
Bob Wallace
Unregistered User
May 27, 15:14
Report commentFor the record, there has never been a black Puma recorded by any Zoological society, or cat group in the history of the species. If people are seeing Puma sized black cats, then they are more likley to be Melanistic Leopards, or Jaguars......
Recommend? Yes 5
No 0
-
******
May 27, 16:40
Report commentThis comment has been removed by a moderator
-
snow shuvvel
Unregistered User
May 28, 18:11
Report commentGood binoculars eh?
100yds away and couldn't tell what it was even when magnified 8x.
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
-
NotHappyJan
192 posts
May 30, 03:44
Report commentI feel he may be mistaken on this one.
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
-
jan the man
Unregistered User
May 30, 12:58
Report commentcalled edwards a liar----guess what it got taken off
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
-
shug
Unregistered User
May 30, 20:49
Report commentMickey was a legend for the Hibees. If he says he saw it, he saw it.
Recommend? Yes 1
No 1
-
Bailseye
Unregistered User
May 31, 16:56
Report commentCome on, cats like hiding under cars! I've never went out in the morning and started the engine only to see a Puma launch out and dart into the undergrowth. And if us humans (the worlds greatest hunters) cant find the Pumas hows one Puma going to find another Puma in Scotland to keep this hidden society alive...
Well done for your Scottish Cup victory Alex a tremendous triumph!!!
Recommend? Yes 0
No 1
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
