Tuesday, August 17, 1999 Published at 08:40 GMT 09:40 UK
Puma is 'definitely' on the loose
Wildlife expert is certain a big cat killed lambs
A police expert investigating lamb kills says a puma is definitely loose in west Wales.
The investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police follows sightings of a large cat in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, and a number of animal killings on farms.
Mr Hooper had been drafted in to examine plaster casts of paw imprints taken at the scene of the latest attack on six lambs at Penbryn Park Farm in Whitemill, Carmarthen.
While he said one print was that of a dog, other found were definitely those of a young puma.
Farmer's wife Yvonne Edwards described her "horror" when she found a field covered in blood during a routine check on the animals.
She is convinced there is a family of large cats living in the area and is eager to see them caught.
"I'm too scared to let my sons play in the fields now because we don't know what's out there.
"Although they say there's no danger to humans, no one can say for definite what would happen if you came face to face with a puma, especially if you startled it.
The incident is said to have been particularly brutal as adult cats may have been teaching cubs to hunt and kill.
Mrs Edwards said she was not entirely surprised given the area's history of incident such as this.
Over the last year or so, several sightings of one or more pumas have been made on nearby country roads.
A neighbouring farmer is reported to have lost six sheep and a calf the week before and Mrs Edwards said a neighbour's horse was savaged last September and her foal vanished.