Huge paw print spotted in Northumberland reignites 'Black Cat of Tynedale' legend
Lorry driver Paul Laidler spotted a huge paw print when out on a woodland walk in Hartburn, Northumberland
by Daniel Hall · ChronicleLiveA huge paw print at a Northumberland beauty spot has once again sparked suggestions that a big cat could be prowling the countryside.
Paul Laidler had taken his parents Olivia and John on a woodland walk to find Hartburn Grotto, a natural cave which was turned into a changing area for ladies wishing to bathe in the Hart Burn river in Victorian times. Searching for a waterfall further upstream, keen photographer Paul, from Wallsend, trekked "off the beaten path" where he discovered the footprint, plunged deep in the mud.
There were a series of footprints which Paul believes are from the same animal, but the picture above is the clearest one he snapped. The 48-year-old initially thought it might belong to a dog, but contacted ChronicleLive after seeing previous reports on the legendary "Black Cat of Tynedale".
Lorry driver Paul told ChronicleLive: "To be honest, I don't know what it was, I just remember looking at it and thinking God, that's a big print. I wouldn't want to come face to face with that dog!
"But when I come home and started searching online, I thought blinkin' heck, it could be something other than a dog."
A photograph taken by Paul shows four large teardrop-shaped toes around an oval pad. Most big cats, including panthers and puma, have four toes on their back limbs and five on the front - as do dogs.
In the past, wildlife experts have said there is no reason not to believe the sightings of big cats in Northumberland. Though on this occasion, Northumberland Wildlife Trust say they believe the paw print resembles that of a dog.
A Stocksfield resident reported seeing the Black Cat of Tynedale behind the Guessburn Estate in 2008. In the same year, two other people reported seeing the animal, and there was a sighting in Hexham town centre previously.
In 2019, a further sighting was reported by a motorist driving between Allenheads and Hexham in the early hours of the morning in 2019, while people have reported spotting a big cat in Oakwood and Slaley Forest. Experts have said it could be a lynx, a puma, or even a hybrid bred from an animal released into the wild by its owner.
In fact, centuries ago, the county was home to lynx - though plans to reintroduce them have consistently been met with stiff opposition. Should this be the same cat, if it is a cat at all, it has covered quite a lot of ground in travelling from the Tyne Valley to Hartburn Glebe.
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