THE latest sighting of a big cat in Essex as it darted through the undergrowth in rural Chelmsford left a woman terrified as she drove home on a summer's evening.
The animal was spotted at 7.20pm in Brook End Road South, Chelmer Village, by a resident who lives nearby as she was heading out for a walk with her husband.
As she looked out of the window she noticed the animal appear from the bushes and decided to get out of the car to investigate.
"Just as I turned right into that road, and when I was level with the two houses on the right, I suddenly said, 'oh my goodness, look at that' to my husband.
"It was the last thing I expected to see that evening. I was very afraid," said the woman, who does not want to be named for fear of ridicule. "I don't want to be the subject of the public gaze, but I know what I saw.
"It had all the shape of a cougar, or a cross-breed of some sort, with a long, slightly flicky tail. It looked like it could have been a fully grown female and was lean and tired-looking."
Leading up to the sighting, nearby wild animals had been found mutilated beyond recognition.
"We had just opened the gate to take a closer look at the big cat when I saw a mess of white feathers just to the left of the footpath. Something had eaten a swan," said the witness.
"I told the lock-keeper of my sighting and he said they had not seen anything, but the week before they had found a fox, just by their garage, with all its innards pulled out and just its face and paws left.
"I told him of the white feathers I had seen across the road along the tow-path and he was saddened – there was only one swan on that stretch of the river this year.
"It was definitely not a lion. It had the shape, physique and tail of a tall cougar, but was a sandy colour, not golden or orange but between brown and sandy in colour, with thick, big cat legs, and the general demeanour of a jungle cat.
"The only difference was the ears were less rounded, being pointed and hairy, like horses ears, but smaller. I will never forget it. It was enough to run a chill through my veins."
Since 2007 there have been several big cat sightings across Essex, with the most famous being the "Essex Lion" incident of 2012 that gained national attention after police stormed Clacton only to find it was a fat ginger house-cat.
The most recent cat was spotted last year in Blackmore End, near Braintree, and was described as a jungle cat.
"This was definitely a big cat of some description. It went into a field where there are currently horses, and I was concerned that if there are any foals they could be in danger," said the woman.
"Having the field of ripening rape-seed to hide in by day must be ideal for it and the river is there for it to drink from."
A spokesman for the RSPCA said it would advise people who think they have seen an animal like this to keep clear and to contact police as soon as possible.
Past sightings
WITH so many sightings around Essex in the 1990s some came to believe there was a "Beast of Essex" roaming the county.
In 2007, a young woman crashed her car into a tree after swerving to avoid a large cat-like animal in Great Bentley.
A few months later a pensioner reported seeing a panther in West Mersea.
In 2008, a 72-year-old saw a "beautiful" large black cat off Mersea Road.
A year later, a similar creature was seen between Lawford and Colchester in the middle of the day.
In October 2011, Judith Cook says she saw a "panther" crossing the A414 near Norton Heath.
In September 2011, a "panther-like" creature was seen by Chris Brewster and again by Alex Baker in Great Totham.
Then, in 2012, there was the infamous "Essex Lion", spotted near Clacton-on-Sea and reported to police. After a frantic search, they admitted it was probably a large domestic cat.
