A CYCLIST believes she spotted the fabled ‘Beast of Burford’ while riding along a footpath in Witney.

Sara Cox said she saw a 'black panther' on Saturday at approximately 6.30am, on her way to Ducklington Lake on a patch of green space alongside Gordon Way.

See below for an interactive map of recent sightings

She added: "My front light hit a pair of eyes – they shone red."

She said she initially thought it was a dog and stopped, then realised 'by the shape and the way it moved' that it was a big cat. 

Have you had a run in with the 'Beast of Burford' or even captured it on film? Let us know in the comments or email here.

The 31-year-old described the animal as moving 'predator like', about the size of a Labrador, 'jet black' and she could see it’s shoulder blades move when it walked.

Ms Cox said it was facing her, then ducked down and she cycled around the back of it on the grass but it 'silently skulked away', hiding in the bushes. 

Oxford Mail: Sara Cox's GPS tracked route with the circle of blue showing where she stopped to look for the animalSara Cox's GPS tracked route with the circle of blue showing where she stopped to look for the animal

It is the latest in a long line sightings of big cats in north and west Oxfordshire.

Sisters out walking near RAF Brize Norton in April last year were convinced they had captured footage of the fabled beast in Carterton.

Oxford Mail: Screenshot of a video taken by April Millen in April near RAF Brize NortonScreenshot of a video taken by April Millen in April near RAF Brize Norton

Sightings date back to the 1990s of people seeing what they swear is a big cat in west and north Oxfordshire.

Dubbed the ‘Beast of Burford’, the creature has in the past been sighted near the village of Upper Arncott, close to Bicester.

Oxford Mail: A photograph of a suspected big cat on display in the Masons Arms pub, Burford Road, Brize NortonA photograph of a suspected big cat on display in the Masons Arms pub, Burford Road, Brize Norton

In one of the most famous sightings, a suspected big cat was photographed in a field opposite the Masons Arms pub in Burford Road, Brize Norton, in 2005.

More recently sightings were further south with boater Michael Grainger, 72, and his wife spotting two ‘black panthers’ in a field by the water at Culham Lock in October, 2018. 

This prompted more readers to get in touch claiming they too had encountered a big cat. 

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