Is seventeen square miles of prime Georgian farmland turned into grassland enough space for a herd of elephants?

!britbongs

!animalposters

An undisclosed Cumbrian hill farm is the location for the first ever positive identification of big cat DNA taken from a carcass.

“To my right, I saw something black running, and assumed it was a sheepdog,” she said. “Then I did a double take and realised it was a black cat. It ran towards a stone wall, stopped and then jumped the wall. It was big – the size of a German shepherd dog.”

Larkin-Snowden took swabs from the sheep's nose and back and front legs, and they were sent to a laboratory at the University of Warwick which specialises in testing for big cat DNA run by Prof Robin Allaby.

Allaby told BBC Countryfile Magazine they were able to make a positive identification of DNA belonging to a cat from the Panthera genus. This includes five species – lion, leopard, tiger, jaguar and snow leopard, but only two – leopard and jaguar – that have melanistic (black) forms as seen by Larkin-Snowden.

This news follows the 2022 discovery of strands of black animal hair on a barbwire fence in Gloucestershire apparently belonging to a big cat

Appearance of a Mountain paca
pic.twitter.com/qaRQMeArfP

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) May 13, 2024

!animalposters

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Parrots having a play time

📹aleena_bulbul
pic.twitter.com/gimVo3kq1p

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) May 16, 2024

!animalposters

The funny actions of animals are so cute.#socute #funny #cat #pet #Animal pic.twitter.com/49O0ymwOpy

— ThanhChuc (@ThanhChuc2k2) May 15, 2024

!birdposters shh shes sleeping!

Look at this lovebug. I love this little man.

The smile.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/GmU0zopBHg

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 14, 2024

!animalposters

!birdposters

!animalposters

A photo of what appears to be a happy - and smiling - black bear looking over Pasadena has become a hit on social media. https://t.co/ls8ofjtjSX pic.twitter.com/G1adADzbkq

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) May 11, 2024

I was only out for a few hours wtf

!birdposters

Happy Mother's Day to all the savage moms out there pic.twitter.com/USO0xTx5Dg

— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) May 12, 2024

I would put a little fake service dog vest on this thing and take it to bars to meet women.

Calling the chickens in for their dinner
pic.twitter.com/Ow0wWigSrA

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) May 10, 2024