‘Loose black panther’ turns out to be house cat

Scots reacted with a mixture of mock horror and typically dour humour yesterday to claims that a black panther was on the loose in the fields of Ayrshire.

Police Scotland urged the public to be vigilant after a reputed sighting of the animal as detectives worked to locate it. However, after eight hours, it admitted that, on close inspection, the panther was a large domestic cat.

A spokesman said inquiries were ongoing and said the public should still take care.