READING, U.K. A mysterious panther has been stalking the townpeople of a small British town.
Young mother Natasha Wysockyj, 23, said she was “freaked out” after she was convinced she was “stalked” by a black panther while out walking with her family in woodland close to Pangbourne.
The Tadley woman was walking outside on the evening of Monday, August 29, with her partner Richard Fiddler, 21, and their three-and-a-half-month old twins when they heard strange noises and felt as though they were being watched by something that was “big and black”.
Miss Wysockyj claims the creature stopped each time the family turned around to investigate where the noises were coming from.
She said: “It followed us all the way along the tree line. It was behind a wire mesh fence and part of the fence had been broken.
“I didn’t know what it was but we could hear it was quite heavy and every time we stopped to look back the noises stopped.”
Miss Wysockyj jumped over a fence to see if it would be safer to walk in a different part of the area and, as she did so, Mr Fiddler told her that the beast “bolted” towards her but he could not see what it was clearly.
The worried family then left the area and returned to the safety of their car but they said they were followed until they reached their vehicle.
Mr Fiddler said he thought the animal looked like a panther so Miss Wysockyj called her father who recalled reports of a panther being spotted in the Pangbourne area in November 2007.
At the time, a woman, Patricia Lewism said she saw the creature on the prowl in a wooded valley just outside Pangbourne while another couple Geoff and Sylvia Killgallon spotted the mighty beast stalking the fields around their home.
A similar creature was also seen in Shinfield and Ashampstead in December 2010 and before this a long, black cat-like creature dubbed the Beast of Berkshire was seen stalking through the countryside between Tilehurst and Pangbourne in 2009.
Miss Wysockyj, who used to visit the area with her friends, added: “I was freaked out. I won’t be going back there again, that’s for sure.”
These have not been the first sightings of exotic creatures around the town.
Feathered beauty Captain Peacock was spotted running around Reading in 2006, then a kangaroo was seen in West Reading before an alligator was snapped in the same area.
A wallaby was seen near the Asda supermarket in Lower Earley in July 2006 and later a parrot was also seen flying around Tilehurst in 2007.
What is going on in Pangbourne?
Laura McCardle
The Queen has been caught owning slaves, did she releace the beast on the town to keep the peasents at bay?