I'm a Celebrity castle shares photos of mysterious footprints found in 'big cat' sighting woodland

Gwrych Castle have posted photographs of paw prints spotted in woodlands near the castle.

They have asked people to say whether they think the tracks were made by a puma or a large dog.

Photo of paw prints found in woodlands posted by Grwych Castle in Abergle Image: Gwrych Castle

The castle said: "We’ve seen reports of a Puma roaming the surrounding woods of Gwrych Castle, this paw print was spotted in our woods last week.

"But what do you think, Puma or dog paw print?"

Photo of paw prints found in woodlands posted by Grwych Castle in Abergle Image: Gwrych Castle

The castle grounds are next to a large area of woodland and open countryside, which experts say would be a perfect habitat for a big cat such as a panther, puma or lynx.

The castle also shared the Leader story about an encounter with a big cat near the castle reported last year.

Image shared by Gwrych Castle for comparison

Then, Chloe Green submitted a photograph of the creature she saw as she was walking in woods near the castle in Abergele.

She said she hear a rustling noise in the trees before a big black shape jump down ahead of her and her boyfriend at about 10pm at night.

Although visibility was poor, she managed to capture an image of the creature, which she believes is a puma or a panther, on her phone.

She submitted the photograph and her account of her experience, which took place in October last year, to the Puma Watch North Wales website.

Photo of what is believed to be a big cat sighted in Abergele. Image: Chloe Green

The photograph taken in Abergele

Chloe said: “I was walking the dog with my boyfriend who lives in Abergele, up in the woods and we heard some rustling in the leaves coming down a hill on the left that stopped in the bushes not far from where I was. I thought that it must be a dog at first that ventured a bit far down from it’s owner.

“It was pouring with rain, and about 10pm at this point, and I was using my phone as a torch but trying to not get it wet so visibility wasn’t very good. So anyway, I was leaning forward a bit and was beckoning whatever it was and hitting my legs, like how you’d get a dog to come to you, as my dog had noticed and was whining.

“To my surprise a big black shape moved in the bushes. I didn’t even notice it was there till it moved, almost like it had frozen but then it turned around and looked at me, still standing really still. I was a bit in shock to be honest I didn’t really know what to do. It looked smaller than the big cats that I’ve seen at the zoo, but much much bigger than a house cat but it looked to me to be very feline.

“I got a picture of it in the bushes and turning away as I didn’t feel threatened by it but I was really shocked, and it ran back up the hill as I beckoned my partner over. I showed him the photo and he was just as shocked as me.

Image: Google Maps/Puma Watch North Wales

Where the sighting took place. Image: Google Maps/Puma Watch North Wales

Chloe was prompted to contact Puma Watch after reading about a similar sightings in Pontybodkin and Snowdonia earlier that year.

Since then there have been more sightings in Flintshire and Denbighshire.

Politicians have called for the reports to be investigated.

The sightings in North Wales during 2020 and 2021 have been attributed to the "Puma of Pontybodkin" by the national media.

In November, Toby Matthews, a hypnotherapist living in Caergwrle, captured a mystery creature that was the "shape of a big cat" on video while walking his dog in the Wood Pit Nature Reserve between Pontybodkin and Llanfynydd in Flintshire.

There have been several similar "big cat" encounters in nearby Corwen, Talacre, Whitford, and Pentre Halkyn.

However, some have been found to have reasonable explanations. A 'big cat' filmed prowling in a field in Trelogan, Flintshire, turned out to be a 6kg domestic cat called Sheldon.

Clwyd West MS Darren Millar raised the issue during a virtual meeting of the Senedd last month.

And, due to the spate of sightings in his constituency, MP for Delyn Rob Roberts wrote to the Welsh Government's Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths.

She replied that reports received by the Welsh Government are treated seriously and are investigated.

She said: “The Welsh Government’s policy is to investigate any reports received by the Department for Economy, Skills and Natural Resources of alleged sightings and attacks by big cats on livestock in Wales.”