Cat, fox – what is the animal in the shadows (originally posted January 27th 2010)

Images of what are believed to be a mystery cat have been taken on a trail camera in an undisclosed Buckinghamshire location.

The animal is first seen on the edge of the camera flash, then in the next two shots slinking away out of sight.

The cameras have been in the secret location for two months before the images were taken.

Unfortunately the animal is in the shadows in the periphery of the camera flash making a positive identification impossible.

But what we can see is a large spotted feline animal. On the first image the face is visible, on the second two shots it can be seen slinking away to the right after its initial surprise with the flash.

A rough size estimate can be gauged from a sample shot showing the cameras owner near the tree where the animal is seen slinking away.

The animal is estimated to be about two feet in length with a 12 – 18 inch tail. Not big enough to be a leopard but certainly puts it into the leopard cat/ Bengal / ocelot type range.

The cameras are being reset with new attractants and marker poles in the hope of catching a more clear shot of the cat in question.

Or is it a fox?