Not that long ago, two years in fact, an article in Adobe2, a property magazine, talked about a big cat in Cricklewood. The piece was about a house that had come on the market, and they revisited its history, which included numerous reports to police since 1991 about the presence of a big cat. Then in 2001 another report came in to the police. They dismissed it at first but still sent an officer to the house in Cricklewood, where they actually confirmed a lynx was present on the property.

The cat was cornered, tranquilised, and sent to London Zoo. They christened the cat Lara, who lived, loved, and eventually died there in 2009.

This all happened in 2001. However, there were other reports of a similar, larger cat after that, in 2002 and 2005, reported in the Welwyn and Hatfield Times. So, if one lynx was already captured, why were there additional reports years later?

This would suggest that originally there must have been two lynxes. If the first one captured was the female, then the second, uncaptured lynx must have been the male? Hiding in the brush all this time, hunting smaller prey like rabbits and sheep. What is also of interest is the aggression described in the reports. Attacking car tyres and killing sheep. The level of aggression indicates a male cat.

And the distance from Barnet or Cricklewood to the Hatfield area is around 11 to 12 miles, and big cats tend to have large territories. But in this case, a lynx, was it migrating north or looking for another mate it could never find?

I do not think the beast is still around today, and all evidence is eyewitness. However, bearing in mind one was captured and the other was not, it does leave an open question. Where did it go, and where did it end up?

Sources: Telegraph, Adobe2 Magazine, Welwyn Hatfield Times