It's that time of year again. Usually a photo appears in the papers of a black panther baring its fangs at the camera in a vicious snarl, with a dramatic article suggesting that pumas, leopards and lynx are all wandering loose across the Sussex countryside.
This is unlikely for a number of reasons. Even in parts of the world where big cats occur naturally, they are rarely seen and although it is possible a small population could survive in the highlands of Scotland and remote parts of the west country, Sussex is just too populated.
A pair of leopards would need a hunting territory of about 100sq kilometres - and that in an African game reserve swarming with antelope and other large prey.
If even one big cat was at large in Sussex, there would be livestock killed on a daily basis and it is likely that some unfortunate person would stray on to a cat's territory with fatal consequences.
The only wild cats in this area are domestic cats that have turned feral.
-Richard Florey, Brighton
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