It might sound like the plot of a bad horror movie, but a large beast, thought to be a black panther, is spreading fear amongst locals after numerous sightings in south Kilkenny.
The mysterious creature, which has been given the moniker ‘The beast of Listrolin’ after the Kilkenny town, has been the subject of increased sightings lately, despite claims from other locals that for years it has roamed the fields of the southern part of a county widely associated with Cats, albeit in a completely different context.
One man who caught a glimpse of the far from mythical creature, local hunter Ned Egan, told The Star: “I had a good view. The animal appeared, running like the wind.
“It was the same size as a large Rottweiler but it was definitely a cat, probably of the panther family. It was as fast as any racing greyhound.”
Disturbingly, rumours of the beast’s presence is not the first report of large, unidentifiable and almost certainly dangerous animals on the prowl in this country. Sightings of similar panther-like animals were also reported in Kilsheelan, Tipperary in 2008 and in Letterkenny in Donegal three years ago.
Little other specific details about the so-called beasts have been reported, but they are thought to fit a description similar to what is described in the video below.
