ARE they just urban myths or could there really be creatures as exotic as black panthers and pumas roaming our countryside?
Some say it’s nonsense but reported sightings of big cats in Hampshire have been high for many years.
Hundreds of reports vary from a black panther-like creatures on school grounds to a beast that looked like a snow leopard in Netley.
Here are a few from the archives – could they still be out there?
Fears of big cats stalking the New Forest were sparked after a dog walker spotted a panther-like creature at Marchwood.
Sharon St John was in a field next to the Saints training ground in Staplewood Lane when she caught sight of a jet black cat prowling close to the edge of woodland.