Original Story - A sighting near Stirling, UK
As is often frustratingly the case when analysing anomalous British Big Cat videos, it is very difficult to be at all conclusive, considering the inadequate visual quality of the Stirling footage. However, I believe it's safe to assume the animal captured here is certainly within the size ranges of both domestic cats (Felis catus) and Scotish wildcats (Felis silvestris grampia), and of course the genetically diluted hybrids between these two species. Going by the relatively isolated Scotish location, the observable dimensions of the animal compared with that of the background trees, hedges, and partition fencing; the animal recorded in this video could conceivably be either (or possibly, even if unlikely, both) of the above!
As far as I am aware, Stirling is only a short distance south of the Scotish wildcat's known geographic range, therefore if further evidence does eventually come forward that compliments this video there is a modest possibility this could be evidence of wildcat range extension, or further genetic hybridisation.
However, unless more independent evidence (video or otherwise) does come forward, it would be sensible at this time to suggest the animal recorded near Stirling was most likely nothing more than a large domestic moggie!
Unless of course the eyewitnesses and the journalists didn't intend to refer to this animal as a true Scotish wildcat (F. s. Grampia) and simply meant to imply it was an ABC, then in that case it almost certainly is not!
ABC - extremely unlikely.
F. s. grampia - unlikely.
F. s. grampia x F. catus hybrid - plausible.
F. catus - highly likely.
The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper column-inches than any other cryptozoological subject. There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. Curated by Carl Marshall and Olivia McCarthy
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