Eye Witnesses Report A Wild Puma Is Prowling Through Cork
Growing up watching The Den there was one man who knew Irish wildlife, the Irish David Attenborough, Don Conroy. Not once in his entire drawing career did Don ever mention Ireland would one day be host to a giant cat native to Northern America.
Yes folks, according to a number of sightings from people, Co. Cork is now home to a wild puma.
Local animal group CSPCA were warned of six sightings of the cat over a nine-day period in the Crosshave and Togher area. According to locals who appeared on the Neil Prenderville Show on Cork Red FM, horses are being startled, chicken coops entered and the population of foxes has significantly dropped in the last number of weeks.
The likelihood of the animal being a part of Cork wildlife isn't impossible. A number of exotic animals have been imported into Ireland in recent years and a Northern Irish man sold wild pumas in the recent past.
Fota Wildlife, a popular Cork animal sanctuary, have announced they do not house pumas.
Should anyone encounter this here wildcat, they are advised not to corner the animal or attempt to capture it as it will retaliate once cornered. The puma, also known as a cougar or mountain lion, is solitary and usually nocturnal and its diet includes sheep, horses, elk, and moose. Humans don't have to worry, statistically, your pet dog is more likely to kill you than a wild mountain lion.
Gardaí have yet to be warned about the animal and have received no official reports.
