from the BBC.co.uk website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4370893.stm
'Big cat' attacks man in garden
A man has been attacked after a large cat-like animal jumped out from bushes in his back garden during the night.
He was trying to coax his own cat into his home when the intruder pounced.
The man, who escaped with minor injuries, alerted police after scrambling back into the terraced house in Sydenham Park, south east London.
A police officer who arrived at the scene minutes later caught a glimpse of the cat and described it as "about the size of a Labrador dog".
The Metropolitan Police have mounted extra patrols in the area, which is largely residential and backs on to a railway line.
They have warned people not to approach the animal and to keep pets inside.
The RSPCA and London Zoo are being consulted for specialist advice.
Inquiries are also being made to trace exactly where the animal may have come from.
The man who was attacked was treated for his injuries by paramedics.
From LBC 97.3FM
http://www.lbc973.co.uk/Article.asp?PT= ... s&id=16410
Panther on the loose in SE26
There are unconfirmed reports of a panther on the loose in South East London.
Scotland Yard say they're investigating after a large cat-like animal attacked a man in Sydenham early this morning.
He's said to have needed treatment for scratches after finding the creature in his garden.
The Sydenham Park Panther
Thanks Adam - I've put a link to your report from the frontpage.
Hmmm has anybody checked out whether Catford's big black cat is still where it should be - or maybe leading a double life (or is it nine?).
BTW I have just had 'London Tonight' call up. They say there is a circus in Lewisham. Anybody know more?
Hmmm has anybody checked out whether Catford's big black cat is still where it should be - or maybe leading a double life (or is it nine?).
BTW I have just had 'London Tonight' call up. They say there is a circus in Lewisham. Anybody know more?
The Beast of Sydenham
Adam, I see that the Standard, in typically understated fashion, are calling the cat 'the Beast of Sydenham'. Big cats have feelings too, you know! It must have been an unpleasant experience for the person concerned, but I'm not sure if scratching someone puts an animal in 'beast' territory.
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articl ... ngStandard
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articl ... ngStandard
Last edited by Newman on 22 Mar 2005 15:00, edited 1 time in total.
The beast of Sydenham aka Newman
They are currently talking on LBC 97.3FM about the 'beast'
the presenter kept calling it sy--den-ham, much to peoples annoyance
they are trying to rename the cat from 'beast' e-mail your ideas
or listen live via the net http://www.lbc.co.uk
the presenter kept calling it sy--den-ham, much to peoples annoyance
they are trying to rename the cat from 'beast' e-mail your ideas
or listen live via the net http://www.lbc.co.uk
The Beast!! The Beast!!!!
How about 'the rather large cat of Sy - denham'?
SY-Denham!
ARGH!
Did you hear it too?
its annoying!!!
Did you hear it too?
its annoying!!!
I've posted an update on the story here:
http://www.sydenham.org.uk/news_panther.html
I think the police have left it for the tabloids to enjoy.... Oh and I'm making a rare editorial directive. It is now officially:
THE SYDENHAM PARK PANTHER
Only 'pink' may be optionally added. Beast of Sydenham - no way!
http://www.sydenham.org.uk/news_panther.html
I think the police have left it for the tabloids to enjoy.... Oh and I'm making a rare editorial directive. It is now officially:
THE SYDENHAM PARK PANTHER
Only 'pink' may be optionally added. Beast of Sydenham - no way!
The pink panther!
Right
lets do tours around the area, £10 including a glass of mulled wine (got bottles left from xmas)
If anyone knows where we can get an old open top bus, even better!
Whos in?
lets do tours around the area, £10 including a glass of mulled wine (got bottles left from xmas)
If anyone knows where we can get an old open top bus, even better!
Whos in?
The Beast
Definitely. We could make a fortune from American and Japanese tourists - come see ye olde beast of Sydenham...they love that kind of stuff. Altogether now...
Well here he is - The Sydenham Pink Panther, The Sydenham Pink Panther.
Everybody loves a Sydenham panther that's pink,
He really is a groovy cat.
And he's a gentleman, a scholar, he's an-acrobat,
He's in the pink, the Sydenham Pink Panther,
The rinky-dink Sydenham Pink Panther,
And it's as plain as your nose
That he's the one and only truly original,
Panther pink from head to toe.
Well here he is - The Sydenham Pink Panther, The Sydenham Pink Panther.
Everybody loves a Sydenham panther that's pink,
He really is a groovy cat.
And he's a gentleman, a scholar, he's an-acrobat,
He's in the pink, the Sydenham Pink Panther,
The rinky-dink Sydenham Pink Panther,
And it's as plain as your nose
That he's the one and only truly original,
Panther pink from head to toe.
Re: The pink panther!
Try here:Adam wrote:If anyone knows where we can get an old open top bus, even better!
http://transporthistory.tripod.com/bus6 ... ss-rt.html
ha ha!
Sydenham is a classy area, with great open spaces and greenery (You only have to ask the panther to confirm that)
Only the best for our visitors!
http://tinyurl.com/4udg8
is more like it!
Sydenham is a classy area, with great open spaces and greenery (You only have to ask the panther to confirm that)
Only the best for our visitors!
http://tinyurl.com/4udg8
is more like it!
The Song of Sydenham
Just sung your song to my cat Newman!
He miowed and tried to scratch me!
Perhaps we should go hunt the panther down by singing the song?
whos up for a bit of singing at 2am? I aint going near any bushes though, I like my face how it is!
All together now
Well here he is - The Sydenham Pink Panther, The Sydenham Pink Panther.
Everybody loves a Sydenham panther that's pink,
He really is a groovy cat.
And he's a gentleman, a scholar, he's an-acrobat,
He's in the pink, the Sydenham Pink Panther,
The rinky-dink Sydenham Pink Panther,
And it's as plain as your nose
That he's the one and only truly original,
Panther pink from head to toe.
He miowed and tried to scratch me!
Perhaps we should go hunt the panther down by singing the song?
whos up for a bit of singing at 2am? I aint going near any bushes though, I like my face how it is!
All together now
Well here he is - The Sydenham Pink Panther, The Sydenham Pink Panther.
Everybody loves a Sydenham panther that's pink,
He really is a groovy cat.
And he's a gentleman, a scholar, he's an-acrobat,
He's in the pink, the Sydenham Pink Panther,
The rinky-dink Sydenham Pink Panther,
And it's as plain as your nose
That he's the one and only truly original,
Panther pink from head to toe.
UPDATE - Read all about it!
'Big cat' AKA The Sydenham Park (pink) Panther attacks man in garden
From
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4370893.stm
A man has been attacked by a large cat-like animal which jumped out from bushes in his garden during the night.
Anthony Holder said a 6ft-long black animal pounced, knocked him to the ground, then mauled him with its claws for about 30 seconds.
He said "I am 6ft and weigh 15 stone and it was considerably stronger and bigger than me. This thing was huge."
Police were called to Sydenham Park in south east London and one officer saw a cat "about the size of a Labrador dog".
'Teeth out'
Armed officers arrived soon after and a search of the nearby railway line and allotments was carried out.
Mr Holder was looking for his kitten at the bottom of his garden, which backs onto woodland, when the powerful creature attacked him.
He described how a "big black figure pounced" and he was "in its claws for about 30 seconds".
"Its teeth were out and I tried to defend myself and eventually I got the thing off my body."
He was scratched all over his body and suffered swelling and bruising to his hand and the back of his head.
Police warning
The animal, which Mr Holder is convinced was a panther, then went and sat in the garden next-door and he called the police
The Metropolitan Police have mounted extra patrols in the area, which is largely residential and backs on to a railway line.
They have warned people not to approach the animal and to keep pets inside.
The RSPCA and London Zoo are being consulted for specialist advice.
Inquiries are also being made to trace exactly where the animal may have come from.
From
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4370893.stm
A man has been attacked by a large cat-like animal which jumped out from bushes in his garden during the night.
Anthony Holder said a 6ft-long black animal pounced, knocked him to the ground, then mauled him with its claws for about 30 seconds.
He said "I am 6ft and weigh 15 stone and it was considerably stronger and bigger than me. This thing was huge."
Police were called to Sydenham Park in south east London and one officer saw a cat "about the size of a Labrador dog".
'Teeth out'
Armed officers arrived soon after and a search of the nearby railway line and allotments was carried out.
Mr Holder was looking for his kitten at the bottom of his garden, which backs onto woodland, when the powerful creature attacked him.
He described how a "big black figure pounced" and he was "in its claws for about 30 seconds".
"Its teeth were out and I tried to defend myself and eventually I got the thing off my body."
He was scratched all over his body and suffered swelling and bruising to his hand and the back of his head.
Police warning
The animal, which Mr Holder is convinced was a panther, then went and sat in the garden next-door and he called the police
The Metropolitan Police have mounted extra patrols in the area, which is largely residential and backs on to a railway line.
They have warned people not to approach the animal and to keep pets inside.
The RSPCA and London Zoo are being consulted for specialist advice.
Inquiries are also being made to trace exactly where the animal may have come from.
The rinky-dink Sydenham Pink Panther
Bit pricey, Adam. Anyone got a spare £4,500 knocking around that they don't want? Failing that, I suppose we could just herd the tourists around the area by foot, giving a running commentary along the way - e.g. 'and this is the high street where ye olde Pink Panther of Sydenham ran amok during 1983, causing a particularly bad traffic jam' and 'to your right, you will see the local branch of Somerfield - according to completely unreliable sources, this is where the beast likes to buy his groceries, although he sometimes prefers to shop in Lidl if he's on a budget.' And so on...
Panthers R us
Panthers R us
that will be the company name!
Pity Sydenham Sports isn't still there
we could have said to the yanks
'and this is where the Puma buys his Pumas'
!!!
Any other puns?
that will be the company name!
Pity Sydenham Sports isn't still there
we could have said to the yanks
'and this is where the Puma buys his Pumas'
!!!
Any other puns?
The Sydenham Pink Panther
To your right is the newsagents where the cat buys his daily paper and magazines. Unconfirmed reports suggest the cat's favourite magazine is Good Mousekeeping.
What will they call the cat if he is caught by the police? The purrpatrator.
Police have advised local residents not to approach the cat as he's obviously in a bad mewd.
Oh dear. On a more serious note, I read that big cat experts believe these cats are the offspring of animals released by owners in the 1970s after the introduction of stringent new laws governing wild and dangerous animals. There has been a rise in sightings of big cats across the country in recent years.
What will they call the cat if he is caught by the police? The purrpatrator.
Police have advised local residents not to approach the cat as he's obviously in a bad mewd.
Oh dear. On a more serious note, I read that big cat experts believe these cats are the offspring of animals released by owners in the 1970s after the introduction of stringent new laws governing wild and dangerous animals. There has been a rise in sightings of big cats across the country in recent years.
here pussy pussy...
Nice jokes Newman 
Its got to be an off-spring from somewhere, 30 years + ago would probably fit in with what the experts are sayings. Its very green and hidden around there, so it would be the perfect place for it to hang out.
Whats his favourite TV program?
Thunder cats!!!
Its got to be an off-spring from somewhere, 30 years + ago would probably fit in with what the experts are sayings. Its very green and hidden around there, so it would be the perfect place for it to hang out.
Whats his favourite TV program?
Thunder cats!!!
Sydenham Pink Panther
Adam, I'm not sure what his favourite TV show is, but I hear that his favourite film is the Sound of Mew-sic.
Another possibility is that some idiot bought the cat as a pet when it was young, couldn't handle it when it grew up and got rid of it at the first available opportunity. Wasn't there a story about someone buying a lion a few years ago or is my mind playing tricks on me?
As for whether the cat is a panther, surely forensics will be able to determine this from the scratch marks?
Another possibility is that some idiot bought the cat as a pet when it was young, couldn't handle it when it grew up and got rid of it at the first available opportunity. Wasn't there a story about someone buying a lion a few years ago or is my mind playing tricks on me?
As for whether the cat is a panther, surely forensics will be able to determine this from the scratch marks?
Or it could be a Black Shuck. These are supposed to wander the East Anglian countryside. But you never know, maybe one of them got fed up with wandering the East Anglian countryside and headed for Sydenham for a change of scenery. This is possibly the weakest of my three theories.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Features ... kShuck.asp
http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Features ... kShuck.asp
is it a bird? is it a plane? no its a panther!
Has the guy concerned had forensic/dna swabbing I wonder! I bet he didnt go to hospital, despite the LAS crew advising him to go!
This broke on the media wire about 04:30 this morning, if it happened just after 2am by all accounts he should have still been in hospital.
I think it was just a big porker of a cat to be honest, our poll confirms that 100% of people thought it was there cat getting a bit chubby after xmas! But anyhow i'll be tucked up in bed tonight and won't be going anywhere near that road! Rather you than me old son!
A
This broke on the media wire about 04:30 this morning, if it happened just after 2am by all accounts he should have still been in hospital.
I think it was just a big porker of a cat to be honest, our poll confirms that 100% of people thought it was there cat getting a bit chubby after xmas! But anyhow i'll be tucked up in bed tonight and won't be going anywhere near that road! Rather you than me old son!
A