Online searches for big cats in Wales have surged following an increase in alleged sightings.
Research by AussieBoots has revealed that Cardiff and Wrexham saw a 100% increase in searches for ‘Big Cats UK’ from 2021 to 2023 – with Swansea seeing a 50% rise.
It comes after multiple big cat sightings have been reported in the press across the country in recent months and years.
The term ‘big cat’ is usually used to describe large wild felines such as tigers, lions, panthers, jaguars, leopards, cheetahs and cougars.
Big cats such as pumas are solitary and their hunting range is dozens of miles.
When big cats were banned as pets in the 1970s, it was legal to release them into the countryside to avoid expensive rehoming costs.
Experts believe that owners from across the UK travelled to Wales to release their cats in to the remote environment.
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A BBC study collated more than 100 big cat sightings in 18 months across north and mid Wales.
Another study recorded 123 Welsh sightings over two years with frequent reports of big cats in Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy and Gwynedd.
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Wales overall has seen a 50% increase in internet searches for big cats whilst Northern Ireland was the country that saw the highest rise in searches (133%).
Scotland came second (127%), and England came third (84%).
The UK saw an 84% increase overall.
Pete Bryden from 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.”