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Farmers fear return of ‘Saddleworth Savage’

Stuart Greer and Ken Bennett
13/ 2/2008

THE mutilated remains of a dead lamb have again triggered fears that a mysterious cat may be stalking the moors above Saddleworth villages.

The carcass of the nine-month-old animal was found near a wall in a field owned by one of the area’s biggest sheep farmers.

Its coat had been ripped off and the bones, including the ribcage, picked clean of flesh.

Local farmers have dubbed the creature they believe responsible ‘the Saddleworth Savage’ and are keeping a close eye on their livestock.

Farmer Chris Crowther told the Advertiser that he made the shocking discovery after searching for missing lambs on his 12,000-acre farm, which stretches from Greenfield to Meltham along the A635.

The father of three said: "The lamb had blood lacerations to its neck. It almost looked as if it had been butchered by a professional.

"When I returned later with a bag to remove the body, the lamb had been dragged for several hundred yards, from where I first located it, and was partly hidden.

"I don’t think a fox carried out the attack. The lamb would have been far too heavy and too big to drag that distance.

"I just hope we don’t have a puma or other such animal on the loose here. I am concerned and wonder if anyone has seen any kind of wild animal on my land or nearby."

Chris, his sons James and Christopher and daughter Claire – who took the pictures of the dead animal – have now stepped up their watch on the 9,000-strong flock.

The British Big Cats’ Society believe there could be panthers, pumas and lynx in the wild. Some experts even think big cats could be breeding in Saddleworth, as many were released into the wild after stricter rules were brought in by the Dangerous Animals’ Act in 1976.

In December, 2003, several people claimed to have seen a black panther near Dovestones reservoir.

Then, three years later, in Uppermill, patrons of the Church Inn and walkers saw a large black cat described by landlord Michael Taylor and his grandson Ayrton as "four times the size of a normal cat, with a snarl on its face, pointed elfin ears and moving very fast".

Experts believed this sighting could have been a North American Bobcat.