Scream and run as fast as you can maybe?

Not if you were cool-headed Jean Burton.

The 75-year-old Peterborough pensioner is certain she clocked the elusive "Beast of Bretton" while she and her husband were out walking their pet dog in Southey Woods.

But instead of panicking, Mrs Burton, of Oundle Road, Woodston, Peterborough, stayed calm after the initial shock and was mesmerised by its beauty.

The woods are near the Castor Hanglands, where various sightings of big cats have been made.

And it comes a week after wildlife photographer Sandra Stuteley (62), from Orton Malborne, Peterborough, discovered a number of distinctive markings on trees near Wansford, north-west of Peterborough.

Mrs Burton said: "On Monday afternoon, I went to Southey Woods with my husband and little dog so we could take him for a run.

"We got lost on one of the paths.

"The dog ran and my husband went after him.

"I could hear two deer calling and getting nearer and nearer.

"I stood still because I though I had to be careful if the deer were rutting.

"Then all of a sudden, this animal came up from the undergrowth and ran over the path.

"It must have been six to seven feet in front of me.

"It was the most beautiful animal – black as coal, slightly larger than a fox with a long tail.

"I just stood there with my mouth open. I couldn't believe it.

"It certainly wasn't a normal cat. It seemed frightened by the noise of the deer."

She said she didn't feel even a tingle of fear as she loves animals and was entranced by the sleek creature.

The former shop manager believes it could have travelled from its usual Bretton haunt.

She said: "They seem to have been seen all over the place. The woods are not very far from Bretton.

"I had doubts when I used to see these stories, but now, they seem believable."

Related:
Beast has been seen by many people. 4 September 2008

ET Comment: Creature really could be out there. 4 September 2008