A ‘healthy’ foal has been found dead with a giant hole in its stomach – sparking fears that a big cat could be the culprit.
The four-month-old horse was discovered lying on its side in a field in Greenhithe, Kent, last week on November 10.
He was last seen alive the day before and had been in good health, his owner said.
Rik Snook, formerly of Big Cats of Britain, has now said he believes the horse was probably killed and eaten by a big cat, due to a series of sightings in the county.
He said: ‘It is definitely possible a big cat is responsible. There have been reported sightings in the area.
‘It is pretty common a big cat would want to go after a young horse. It would be the upper size of what the cat would go after, but it’s definitely not unusual.’
The RSPCA was alerted to the piebald foal’s death, and said they could find ‘no obvious signs of ill health’.
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Inspector Kirsten Ormerod said: ‘From what I could see [he] looked in good body condition.
‘It’s possible he died from natural causes and then was unfortunately scavenged on but his owner is understandably concerned so we are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
‘We urge anyone with information to contact our appeals line in complete confidence.’
Britain only has one wild member of the cat family – but it bears more resemblance to a domestic tabby cat and can only be found in Scotland.
However, there have been several ‘sightings’ of pumas and panthers over the years.
In April, a cat the ‘size of an Alsatian’ was spotted in Cornwall, while a couple said their dog was injured by a large feline in Rutland, East Midlands, last month.
Kent has had a fair share of big cat sightings, with four instances this year alone.
