Documentary makers have uncovered the clearest photo ever taken of a large big cat roaming the British countryside.
The image was found in the archives of a zoological organization and depicts a sizable, muscular black cat resting in the tall grass of Smallthorne, Staffordshire.
The picture bears a handwritten date of March 17; however, the exact year of its capture remains unclear.
If the photograph is authentic, experts believe it could be 'possibly the best photo of a British big cat in existence.'
This image adds to the potential evidence supporting the existence of these cats in the British rural landscape, as showcased in an acclaimed documentary.
The assistant director of a zoology center stumbled upon this picture while going through their archives during his work.
The image undeniably portrays a sizable feline from the Panthera genus, and the clarity is such that even its whiskers are discernible, according to his observation.
He said: 'The photo was attached to a mysterious handwritten letter, which includes a date without the year, isn't signed with a full name, and doesn't have the sender's address.
'But it does state the photo was taken and if it's genuine, then it's the probably the best photo of a British big cat that exists.'
Dragonfly Films released the documentary "Panthera Britannia Declassified" on Amazon Prime, which also presents fresh DNA evidence affirming the existence of a wild big cat in close proximity to a sheep kill in Gloucestershire in July 2022.
Producer Tim Whittard said: 'This astonishing lost photograph and amazing new scientific discovery form only a fraction of the collective evidence on display in the film.
'The documentary is predominantly data-driven. We used real science and real experts and tried to be as objective and analytical as possible.'
The team behind the documentary invested thousands of hours in research and conducted numerous interviews with hundreds of eyewitnesses, according to Whittard.
'The result is a mind-blowing voyage of discovery for viewers, which really takes this forward as serious zoological issue.
The report states that these majestic big cats could be legally owned without a license in the UK until 1976. During that time, they were highly popular and considered fashionable status symbols.
'When the laws surrounding exotic animal ownership changed a lot of people released their big cats into the countryside.
The animals currently spotted in the wild are the offspring of these abandoned pets, he explained.
Watching the video below:
