A group of enthusiasts aims to solve the mystery of big cats prowling the Scottish countryside with a network of cameras designed to capture evidence of the animals.
One remarkable image, taken in Argyllshire, apparently shows a large cat prowling through long grass.
Big Cats in Britain (BCIB) is the largest organisation of its type in the world, with members from all over the UK.
Over the last few weeks there has been an increased effort to make use of wildlife trigger cameras also known as trail cams, or stealth cams to grab that elusive picture of a big cat in the British countryside.
They have a total of 28 cameras, and rising, in various locations around the UK.
BCIB Blog editor and researcher, Shaun Stevens said, “These cameras are probably the only way we will finally solve the big cat phenomenon.
“With a little luck and patience, that elusive big cat picture is just around the corner.
“Until that time, however, we can enjoy the natural images of the other residents of the British animal kingdom that our cameras capture images of animals in their natural surroundings, rarely seen by the public.
As well as the main website at www.bigcatsinbritain.org, and the main sightings blog, the group has created a new blog to show the public images of the many types of animals captured to date.
The blog will be updated weekly with new images, as researchers upload images captured on their cameras.
The group has captured images of fallow, roe and muntjac deer, foxes and badgers.
BCIB founder Mark Fraser said, “We are looking for more safe locations to place the cameras on a full-time basis.
“It is only by having these remote ‘eyes’ in the countryside that will give us a real chance to catch on camera what witnesses have been reporting for decades.
“It is a great aid in helping us get to the bottom of the big cat mystery.”
This is the start of a major concerted effort to get as many of these cameras out into the field in known Big Cat hotspots.
Areas covered in Scotland so far are Fife, Ayrshire, Clackmannanshire and Argyll, while in England there are cameras in Kent, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Merseyside, Manchester, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Sussex, Leicestershire and Oxfordshire.