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Goat girl 'confronted by panther'

A 15-year-old girl has described how she came face-to-face with a panther lurking outside her house in the Welsh countryside.

Laura Jones was bringing in her pet goats Willow and Thistle for the night when she spotted the beast.

It was dusk and Laura said the goats were acting strangely when she saw a big black cat crouching in the shadows. Laura, whose family lives on a smallholding near Llangorse, mid Wales, said: "Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large cat just by the gateway. It was about the same size as an Alsatian and black, but there was no mistaking it was a cat. I think it was a panther. "It walked forward a bit and then crouched as if to pounce. I just froze. We all froze - the goats too. It was like that for about a minute. "Then it just got up and melted back into the shadows and went back up the lane. I could see the outline against the hedge. It didn't run or anything - it just slunk off the same way cats walk. It was really creepy."

When the panther had gone, Laura ran into the house to get her mother to help her with the goats who were panicking. Later that night, they called the police who examined the scene and found some paw prints which could have been those of a large cat like a panther, but they were unclear due to the muddy wet conditions.

Laura said: "I think it was after the goats, but because there are three of us it would have been a bit intimidated. It was interested in us as food."

Now, Laura makes sure she gets the goats, her pets of seven years, in to the stable before it starts getting dark to keep them safe, should the panther return.

1st February 2002

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