A FARMER who discovered the half eaten carcass of a newborn calf in his field is convinced the killing was the work of a big cat, such as the suspected Durham Puma.

When Brett Forrest checked the livestock at his family’s farm near Spennymoor, County Durham, yesterday morning (Thursday, May 19) he noticed one of his Salers cows had given birth but the calf was motionless on the ground.

He described what he then saw as ‘like a scene from the Serengeti’.

Mr Forrest said: “At first I thought it had been stillborn but I got close and saw it had been completely obliterated.

“There was a big bite mark on the back of its neck, its insides had been taken, its pelvis was missing and flesh off its back legs.

“Cattle are creatures of habit and are usually out in the field but they were all next to the hay shed, it was like they were cowering together or hiding.”

Mr Forrest and his wife Joanne both believe the calf was killed by a big cat because its injuries and remains were so unlike anything they had seen before.

He said: “Foxes will take lambs but they only take the head and a leg and we know about dog attacks but this was different, whatever did it tackled a 40 kilo calf.

“I’m certain some sort of big cat is responsible.

“When you watch the likes of Attenborough you see a lioness taking down its prey, how they attack and destroy and that is what I think happened here, something stalked that calf and took it out. It was like a scene from the Serengeti.”

The Northern Echo:

The dead calf found by Brett Forrest yesterday morning

The couple reported the matter to police and the National Farmers’ Union and have alerted farmers with land near theirs at Stanners Farm, which has been in Mr Forrest’s family since around 1880 and was hit by floods three times during the winter.

“We’ve rung a lot of farmers we know so they can check their livestock and stay vigilant,” said Mr Forrest, 44.

Sightings of so-called big cats have been reported across County Durham since the early 1990s and Mr Forrest recalls two incidents in recent weeks that could have been warning signs.

“Last week I went to check on nine heifers we have over the road and they’d trampled fences, now I’m wondering if a big cat had been in there bothering them and they’ve been running away, and I heard of a sighting nearby recently so maybe it is out there,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Durham Police said: "This was reported to us this morning, the team local to that area and our Farmwatch officers are aware and anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call police on 101."