Four years ago today, an animal described as a "black panther” was spotted hunting for rabbits and birds on Ffrith Beach, Prestatyn.
The encounter took place while the witness was out walking their dog.
It happened at around 6am on the morning of April 5, 2022.
The creature was first spotted in the grassy area inhabited by rabbits and was then seen running “at great speed” across the beach, hunting birds.
The witness reported the sighting to Puma Watch North Wales, a group set up to document and investigate such sightings.
The report said: “I saw it on Ffrith beach at the back of Salfords Children’s Camp.
“First it was in the grassy area where rabbits are. I took my dog away quickly to the dunes.
“From there I saw it run at great speed across the beach apparently hunting birds.
“I don’t think it saw us but I was very concerned for my dog who was running free prior to the first sighting.”
It came just days after four hikers reporter being stared at by a black creature they believe could have been a big cat.
The hillwalkers said the creature stared at them for several minutes before disappearing into the gorse bushes on Moel Hiraddug, near Dyserth.
Tony Jones, Puma Watch founder, said there had been other sightings of big cats along the Denbighshire coast.
Mr Jones added at the time: "Towards the coast, a 'black panther with a long tail' was spotted on the golf course adjacent to the beach in Rhyl, back in September 2021.
"A few months earlier, in May, police were called after a 'huge jet black cat' was spotted lurking in the bushes near Prestatyn train station.
"There have also been multiple sightings a few miles along the coast in the Talacre area – as well as near Abergele.
"In the opposite direction, just a few miles further inland from Dyserth, big cats have been spotted at Rhuallt Hill and in St Asaph."
Tony added: "Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles.
"They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent.
"Just last month, we shared a report of a big cat in Leamington Spa. While we focus on North Wales and the surrounding areas, we often receive reports from further afield and have shared sightings from as far out as Scotland and Cornwall.
"As seen with Llandudno's now-famous goats, who have taken to roaming the town’s deserted streets during the coronavirus lockdowns, it’s likely that the reduced levels of human activity over the last year is encouraging big cats to roam further from the hills into more populated areas."
This story was first reported on by Matt Warner on April 5, 2022.
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