Massive cat-like creature on the Yorkshire moors - July sighting

Posted this on a local Facebook group but figured it might be worth sharing here too. Back in July, I was out on the Yorkshire moors near Hebden Bridge doing some landscape photography. It was about 5:30pm, still quite bright, when I spotted what I can only describe as a huge black cat moving through the heather about 200 metres away across the valley.

I know we don't have wild big cats in Britain officially, but this thing was enormous. Easily 5 or 6 feet long, very muscular, moved like a panther. It didn't see me, just kept moving uphill towards the rocky outcrops. The tail was distinctive - long and thick. I managed to get one photo on my telephoto lens before it disappeared behind some rocks.

I'm not claiming it's exotic or anything mad, but I genuinely don't know what I saw. Too big to be a domestic cat, too deliberate in its movement to be a dog. Has anyone else spotted anything similar in Yorkshire? And before the skeptics pile in - I know it sounds far-fetched, but I saw what I saw.

Can you share the photo? Honestly, that's the key thing. A telephoto shot would be really helpful for analysis. The Hebden Bridge area's got quite a few sightings reported over the years - there's a whole forum thread somewhere about big cat sightings in the Pennines.

Likely explanation: large domestic cat, distance playing tricks on your perception. I'm not being dismissive, genuinely - it's called the Misidentification Effect. Your brain sees 'cat' and scales it up based on the distance and the landscape. Happens to photographers more than most because you're focused on framing rather than spatial awareness. That said, some big cats do escape from private collections. Worth reporting to local wildlife services.

There's definitely something big moving around the Pennines. I've heard stories from farmers about livestock going missing - proper kills, not just predation. Whether it's an escaped leopard, a lynx from some collector, or a misidentified dog, who knows. But you're not the first person to report this. Fair play for not being defensive about the skepticism.

I managed to get one photo on my telephoto lens

The Pennie Panther, some people call it. There's been sporadic sightings for about fifteen years. Mostly along the Calderdale Way. Could be a genuinely wild population of something, could be repeat escapes. Either way, your sighting fits the pattern perfectly - moorland, early evening, black fur, graceful movement. I'd report it to the British Big Cat Society if you haven't already.