South Devon Coast - 2020
On the evening of the 30th of April 2020 I took my Yorkshire Terrier for a short toilet-break walk and decided to go into the nearby coastal grass and woodland area at around 9:15pm so I could put the dog bag in a bin. As we approached the gate he started pulling on the lead. I knew immediately that he was onto something! As we went through the gate I could hear what he must have heard! What was it? It was the unmistakeable growl of a puma, echoing from the wooded cliff nearby in the still night air! In all, I must have heard up to 30 grunty- snarls and the sound was crystal clear! My dog and I walked to the bin and stood for a while there ….. and then I saw something! In the fading light I could see that it was a powerfully-built tan-coloured animal and it was heading with purpose down the path in front of us about 70 feet away! My dog's view of it was obscured, so he did not react. At that point I decided to head quickly back to the gate to keep us both safe, as I did not have a torch or a strong stick with me!
We stood by that gate for a few minutes and all was quiet. After a short while we headed back through the gate and stood motionless for several minutes but whatever I had seen had gone, probably down a side path into the undergrowth to follow other scents!
What had I seen? I can only say that it DEFINITELY wasn't a deer, a fox or a badger. It was either a large tan-coloured dog on the loose on its own (!) on that damp and misty night …. or it was the very puma that I had just heard! I think the latter is the more likely and I'm hoping to hear it again and get a better view of it and record it and capture it on my camera next time!
We stood by that gate for a few minutes and all was quiet. After a short while we headed back through the gate and stood motionless for several minutes but whatever I had seen had gone, probably down a side path into the undergrowth to follow other scents!
What had I seen? I can only say that it DEFINITELY wasn't a deer, a fox or a badger. It was either a large tan-coloured dog on the loose on its own (!) on that damp and misty night …. or it was the very puma that I had just heard! I think the latter is the more likely and I'm hoping to hear it again and get a better view of it and record it and capture it on my camera next time!