TWO sightings of a big black cat were made on the same day on hills near Colwyn Bay.

The two sightings happened in the Llysfaen and Bryn Cadno areas of the town on Monday, May 23.

They were separately reported to Puma Watch North Wales, the group set up to document and investigate such sightings.

Sighting 1: Llysfaen, 10.15am

The witness went for a run that morning when he spotted a “huge black” creature he believes was a melanistic leopard.

He said: “I have just come across a huge black, nearly grey cat in the Llysfaen area. I was just going for a run and I see something in the field to my right and it’s a massive leopard looking thing.

“I whistle at it and it runs the other way, not fast but really silky run, there’s no way this was a domestic cat.”

Puma Watch explained that melanism is a genetic variation which can cause leopards to appear jet black. Most melanistic leopards retain their spots, but with different degrees of visibility.

Sighting 2: Bryn Cadno, 6.30pm

Later the same day, a woman was walking her dog on Bryn Cadno, an area of green open space at the top of the hill sharing the same name.

The witness said: “We were walking our dog on an area known as dog mountain in upper Colwyn Bay when we saw it run really fast across the area about 25 metres away in front of us.

“It ran out of sight and we didn’t react other than to comment about what it was. It didn’t seem to notice us.”

She added the animal was black and that she believes it was a puma.

The sightings on the Puma Watch interactive map. Image: Puma Watch North Wales.

The sightings on the Puma Watch interactive map. Image: Puma Watch North Wales.

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Puma Watch investigates

On Tuesday, May 24, members of the group visited Bryn Cadno also known locally as ‘dog mountain‘ between 6pm and 7pm - the time of the sighting the previous evening.

Puma Watch founder Tony Jones said: "While we were unsuccessful in spotting a big cat, we did find evidence of said creatures inhabiting the area."

The scene of the sighting. Image: Puma Watch North Wales.

The scene of the sighting. Image: Puma Watch North Wales.

He added: "Multiple pawprints can be seen in the images [see above}, found on the west side of Bryn Cadno, on a slippy slope near the summit. While it’s clear the pawprints are not recent, owing to the solid dry ground and grass which has now grown through them, it’s likely they were made over the winter when the slope would have been softer and muddier.

"The sightings follow previous encounters in the Colwyn Bay area, which most recently occurred in early February. First, a “big black cat” believed to be a puma was spotted dashing across the road leading up to Colwyn Heights and the Bryn Cadno area, near Pwllycrochan Woods."

That witness said: “We were travelling up into Colwyn Bay heights to fetch an item we had just bought and as we were going further up a big black cat which was the same size as a Labrador ran in front of us.

“Both me and my husband saw it.

“It had a big black tail and moved across the road like a cat.”

Tony added: "Over the next few days, we received two historical reports of big cats in Colwyn Bay from April 2016 and December 2018. Both were on the edge of the Colwyn Heights area, with one seen on the Old Highway alongside Pwllycrochan Woods and another seen on Mochdre Road.

"Additionally, a footbridge in the Nant-y-Glyn Valley, which runs along the southeast border of Colwyn Heights, is known locally as ‘Puma Bridge’."