15 Sep, 2020 @ 08:15
1 min read

Helicopter and thermal cameras roped in to search for black panther in sleepy village in Spain’s Andalucia as ‘first picture’ emerges

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THE search for the elusive black panther in a sleepy Andalucian village stepped up another notch last night.

Guardia Civil, after adding a helicopter on Monday afternoon, brought in thermal cameras to continue the search overnight.

It comes after residents in Venta de Huelma in Granada were adamant on Friday that they saw the big cat prowling near the castle and town hall.

Black Panther Warning
WARNING: Town hall asks residents to be alert after sighting of black panther

Alvaro Aguado and his wife took a picture of what they say was 100% a panther after having a look through their binoculars.

“It’s a panther, Alvaro, my wife said,” Alvaro told Ideal, “I took the binoculars and saw the same thing.” Aguado assured the local paper that the animal that is on the loose is ‘a feline with a very long tail’ and is 100% convinced it is a panther.

Seprona, the animal arm of the Guardia Civil, told media it wants to know once and for all whether the animal ‘actually exists’.

Panther Pic
BLURRED: Picture taken of alleged big cat from a far distance by couple adamant it was a panther (CREDIT: IDEAL)

The town of around 600 residents was warned by the town hall on Saturday morning that several witnesses said they saw the beast the previous day.

In a Facebook post, the local government body said investigators visited the area of the sighting and found no trace of the animal.

However it added that authorities would continue monitoring the area and investigate for a few more days and at different times.

Yesterday, in a new post, the town hall said a member of the Civil Proteccion who is allegedly helping track the animal saw it ‘on the road, in the direction of Agron.’

Locals have been advised to steer clear of the animal if they happen to come across it and to call the 112 emergency number.

Panthers travel long distances with ease and are constantly changing locations, the town hall said, insisting residents to remain ‘alert.’

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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