Photographer Searches For Puma Spotted Hiding In The British Countryside

Ellen Manning
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A wildlife lover has released his prize snap of what could be a puma prowling the British countryside to encourage people to share their photos of big cat sightings.

In the picture, snapped in Yorkshire by photographer Lee Clifford, the feline hides behind a tree but looks straight at the camera.

According to Mr Clifford, it stayed still for 15 seconds before disappearing into the Yorkshire greenery.

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Hiding - Mr Clifford says he spotted the puma while walking near Hull (Pictures: SWNS)

The 44-year-old, from North Cave, Yorkshire, said it is the clearest photo of a wild cat in Britain that he has ever seen, and three years after taking it he’s still searching for another glimpse.

“It was definitely a puma. It was a lot bigger than a normal cat. I have never seen anything as clear as this before.”

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Mr Clifford said he spotted the shy animal while he was out walking near Hull, Yorkshire.

He said: "I wouldn’t have noticed it usually, but I saw a bit of movement. Then I looked more closely and saw it standing there. I think it was trying to make sure I didn’t see it.

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Revealed - Lee has shared his photo to encourage other people to report sightings

"I was eating a tin of mackerel at the time so maybe it got a smell of that.

"It was just watching me and hiding there. It was probably there for about 15 seconds.

"If I hadn’t stood up it would have stayed there longer but it was gone.

"It disappeared, completely vanished. I walked up to where it was standing but there was nothing there.”

Mr Clifford has decided to share his photos, which he took in 2013, in a bid to encourage other people to report any sightings. And though he hasn’t spotted it since, he is still looking.

“It has become an obsession,“ he added.

Big cat sightings aren’t unheard of in the UK - since 2001 police have received more than 50 reports.