A homeowner in a quiet Worcestershire town has been left stunned after his security camera captured footage of what appears to be a large, mysterious big cat prowling a residential driveway in the dead of night.
The Midnight Visitor in Malvern
Steven Searle, 51, was woken at 2.23am on Sunday, December 28, when his CCTV system was triggered at his home in Malvern, Worcestershire. The system, which he has calibrated to activate only for people or cars, had detected movement. Reviewing the footage, he was confronted with the sight of a shadowy, dog-sized creature walking purposefully along his neighbour's path.
The brief clip shows the animal moving alongside a fence, passing a gate, and then vanishing into the darkness. Steven described the creature as a "black jaguar type big cat" and was shocked by its size. "It triggered the CCTV so it is big," he stated. "None of the domestic cats in the close have ever done that. It was head height to the bonnet of a car and bigger than a normal cat."
Corroborating Evidence and Expert Analysis
Steven's sighting is not isolated. A neighbour further up the road reported seeing a large animal walk past his house, though he had no recording. This incident adds to a growing body of anecdotal and scientific evidence suggesting non-native predators may be living wild in the UK.
Last year, Professor Robin Allaby from the University of Warwick found DNA evidence from the 'Panthera genus'—which includes lions, leopards, tigers, jaguars, and snow leopards—on a sheep carcass in the Lake District. His research led him to estimate that as many as 100 big cats could be roaming the British countryside.
This region of Worcestershire has seen similar suspicions before. In June, a half-eaten deer carcass was discovered in the Wyre Forest near Bewdley. The remains, found in an enclosed area with barbed wire, had its insides devoured. Jessica Lodge, who found the deer, said she had "never seen anything like it before" and believed it was possible a big cat was responsible.
A Persistent British Mystery
The Malvern footage has reignited debate about the existence of elusive big cats in the UK. While definitive proof remains elusive, the combination of credible eyewitness accounts, peculiar livestock deaths, and now clear CCTV imagery from a calibrated security system continues to build a compelling case.
For Steven Searle and his neighbours, the mystery is no longer a distant legend but a tangible, if shadowy, presence that passed within metres of their homes. As experts like Professor Allaby continue their research, each new sighting adds another piece to the puzzle of Britain's most enigmatic wildlife phenomenon.
