Surrey Puma
A puma-like felid sustaining a six-decade English flap.
- Region
- Surrey and the Home Counties, England
- Documented sightings
- 1 on map →
Overview
The Surrey Puma is a large felid reported across Surrey, Hampshire, and Sussex since the late 1950s, with sustained activity continuing into the present. The 1962 sighting by water board worker Ernest Jellett near Heathy Park Reservoir in Farnham is considered the first official report and triggered Surrey Police investigation.
Identification
Reported as a tan or sandy-colored puma — Puma concolor — approximately 1.5 to 2 meters in body length with a long thin tail, flat round face, and large paws. Tracks attributed to the creature have been measured at up to 11 cm in width, consistent with mountain lion morphology. Livestock kills follow the puma pattern of single throat bites and partial consumption.
Lore & Origin
Surrey Police treated the 1962 Jellett sighting as credible enough to investigate the lane and document a flattened bedding area; Jellett's detailed description of the cat's face was later credited as launching modern British big cat research. The 1976 Wild Mammals (Captivity) Act has been suggested as the source of multiple original puma escapes, though no specific Surrey origin has ever been confirmed.