Copyright birminghammail
Hanging from the base of a tree near a main road on Cannock Chase is a peculiar item linked to one of the beauty spot's mysterious 'inhabitants'. Cannock Chase is a popular destination with walkers and hikers, measuring 26-square miles in size and located at the northern edge of the West Midlands conurbation. It is made up of forests, heathland and trickling streams and is officially recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). READ MORE: Inside street where residents 'don't feel safe' after woman taken to hospital Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join But for all its pleasantness, Cannock Chase is allegedly home to things more sinister such as the Black Eyed Child, Pig Man and werewolves. Those may seem like science fiction, however locals and visitors alike believe another rumoured inhabitant is more credible: big cats. And it appears people have taken the steps to try and capture DNA proof by tacking pieces of carpet onto tree trunks. Local historian Richard Pursehouse explained that the carpet may have been installed in a bid to catch traces of animal fur if a big cat was to rub against it. There's never been any official proof of big cats over Cannock Chase but there's been reported sightings of a 'brown or sandy coloured' puma or mountain lion over there spanning at least 20 years. The Staffordshire beauty spot is among a list of rural areas around Britain where sightings have been reported in recent decades alongside the likes of the Beast of Bodmin in Cornwall. It's believed the animals could have been the offspring of big cats released into the wild after the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976, which placed more responsibility on pet owners regarding animal welfare and public safety. While the presence of big cats in Britain may still seem farfetched, last year the DNA of a big cat - most likely a leopard - was confirmed to have been found on a dead sheep in the Lake District. However speaking about rumours of big cats in October 2023, the manager of the forest centre at Cannock Chase, Gary Kelsey , said: "We have wildlife rangers and foresters out in really quiet parts of the Chase sometimes in the dark, and we've never seen anything of that nature." But Mr Pursehouse, who regularly visits Cannock Chase, claims to have seen a big cat on two different occasions. On another occasion, he discovered strange markings on a tree trunk which appeared to have been made by large claws. During BirminghamLive's visit to the beauty spot this month, the piece of carpet remained in place, almost camouflaged against the bark. Mr Pursehouse said: "I've actually seen a big cat, possibly the same cat, several years ago over Cannock Chase. "I got talking to somebody over here who explained that how hunters track them (big cats) down - say the SAS or whatever - over Bodmin and Exmoor was that they cut a slice of cheap carpet and tack it onto trees. "So any animal going past would either scratch them or the carpet will have actually get some of the fur, and they can then DNA analyse the carpet." Pointing to the carpet still attached to a trunk, he said: "I was a bit sceptical about this, it sounded like a load of nonsense, then I found this some time ago. "It's the first one I found over Cannock Chase, there is another one about half a mile from here. "It's still attached, it's the cheap stuff, so any animal brushing up against it, maybe some fur will come off, especially if this carpet tack is behind it. "The animal might not realise what is happening."
