Wales has seen a surge in online searches for big cats after alleged sitings in recent years, according to research from Aussieboots.

The study AussieBoots showed that Cardiff and Wrexham saw a 100 per cent surge in searches for ‘Big Cats UK’ from 2021 to 2023. Swansea also saw a 50 per cent rise.

There was an 84 per cent increase the UK as a whole.
 
The term ‘big cat’ is usually used to describe large wild felines such as tigers, lions, panthers, jaguars, leopards, cheetahs and cougars. However, it is believed that most sightings are of large, leopard-like cats.
 
Earlier this year the DNA of a big cat was identified from a swab which was taken from a dead sheep in the Lake District proving that at least one could be running wild.
 
AussieBoots, which carried out the research, reported that Northern Ireland was the country that saw the highest rise in searches (133 per cent), Scotland came second (127 per cent), with England third (84 per cent).

Wales saw an over all increase of 50 per cent.
 
Pete Bryden, of AussieBoots, said: “The increase in big cat sightings across the UK has certainly captured the public’s imagination.

"It’s fascinating to see how interest has grown, particularly in Wales where searches have surged. Whether these sightings are fact or folklore, it’s clear that the British countryside still holds plenty of mysteries for us to discover."