Unlike the Todmorden UFO case, which focuses on one specific, legendary night, the “Big Cat” sightings in and around Bury (specifically Radcliffe and Ramsbottom) are part of an ongoing, decades-long local mystery.

Over the years, multiple residents, horse riders, and even the police have been caught up in quite a few highly publicized encounters.

1. The Panther Chasing Deer (2016)

In July 2016, Greater Manchester Police received an incredibly frantic and urgent call from a resident in Radcliffe (just down the road from Bury town center). The witness reported seeing a massive black panther actively hunting and chasing deer through a farmer’s field off Bury New Road. The caller was utterly unshakeable in their conviction, telling the police handler that the creature was “definitely not a dog and definitely not a domestic cat.” Police searched the area but found no trace of the phantom feline.

2. The Radcliffe ‘Puma’ (2018)

In July 2018, an 81-year-old resident named Peter Nield was looking out of his back window on Grindsbrook Road in Radcliffe. He spotted a massive, pure-black cat smoothly trotting across the field behind his garden. It was only in sight for about six seconds, but he insisted his eyesight was perfect and described it as a large puma or panther.

3. The Frenzied Horses of Pilsworth (2018)

Just a few months after the Radcliffe Puma sighting, a much more dramatic encounter happened in October 2018 along the Roch Valley Greenway, a popular bridleway linking Pilsworth and Bury.

Two friends, Leonora Fleming and Nikki Allison, were out riding their horses on a Saturday morning when they heard heavy rustling in a fenced-off, inaccessible thicket near a fishing lake. Suddenly, their horses sensed something terrifying:

• Leonora’s horse went into a complete frenzy, spinning around in circles and attempting to bolt in pure panic.
• As she fought to control the horse, she heard a distinct, deep growl and saw a massive black shape “the size of a Dobermann” looming in the bushes.
• After escaping, both riders agreed the shape, size, and muscular movement were identical to a black panther. Leonora reported it to the police, stating she had ridden those paths for years, seen plenty of foxes and stray dogs, and had never seen her horse react with such blind terror.

4. The Ramsbottom “Jaguar” (FOI Disclosures)

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request later revealed that the police had also been called to Ramsbottom (in the northern part of the Bury borough), where a terrified local reported seeing a “black Jaguar cat, bigger than a fox with a long tail” slinking through the hills.

What is the theory behind it?

Whenever these sightings crop up in the Bury area, wildlife experts and local sleuths point to a few theories:

• The 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act: Before 1976, it was perfectly legal (and trendy) in the UK to own exotic big cats. When the law changed—forcing owners to get expensive licenses and meet strict safety standards—many wealthy owners simply drove out to rural spots (like the West Pennine Moors overlooking Bury and Rossendale) and set their exotic pets free.
• Large Feral Felines: Cynics often point out that a massive black domestic cat or an oversized dog can easily look like a panther from 50 yards away when you lack a sense of scale.
• The “UK Big Cat” Reality: Interestingly, while most sightings are chalked up to mistaken identity, documentary filmmakers in recent years have successfully recovered DNA evidence (from black fur caught on barbed wire after livestock attacks in the UK) that gave a 99% match to actual big cat species, proving that a small, elusive population really does exist in the British countryside.

Whether it’s a genuine panther surviving on the local deer population or a series of highly synchronized cases of mistaken identity, the fields of Bury remain a hotspot for big cat folklore.