Marbella big cat rampage as escaped 'lynx' caught stalking Brit holiday hotspot

11 March 2024 , 22:51

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Jakar was seen walking around Marbella, Spain (Image: Credit: Pen News)

A “potentially dangerous” big cat originally from Africa was found prowling through the streets of Marbella after escaping its owner who kept it illegally.

Spanish police said the African lynx was captured on the Costa del Sol after a local spotted it stalking through their neighbour’s garden. The predator, named Jakar, had been illegally imported into Spain when it was smaller and its Russian owner declared it as a domestic cat.

In a statement, law enforcement said: “The notice came from a neighbour who alerted the Civil Guard about the presence of a lynx in the garden of a home in Marbella. The animal, 20 kilos in weight and potentially dangerous, had escaped from another house to a distance of about 20 kilometres.”

The animal is a caracal – a species informally called a lynx, but distinct from the lynx proper – and about two-and-a-half years old. The species is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and its trade is restricted.

A Spanish police officer with the big cat (Credit: Pen News)

It has now been rehomed at an AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection) facility 27 miles northwest of Alicante. In a statement, the AAP said Jakar was “an exotic animal not suitable as a companion”.

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The statement added: “Jakar will spend an initial period in quarantine where the necessary tests are carried out to determine his health status, and then have access to the outside facilities. The caracal lives in the savannahs and semi-deserts of North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and western Asia.

“They are capable of killing prey double or even triple their size. Unfortunately and despite how surprising it may seem, he is not the first rescued in Spain to arrive at the AAP rescue centre.” The Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard is keeping the case open while it decides whether a crime has been committed.

Last month a group of hikers in Dartmoor came across a 'big cat' while out on a walk and watched as it darted into a field of sheep who remained unfazed. Andy Bowren, 49, from Devon, was out walking with his son, brother and friend, when they saw the animal on February 11. Andy told : "I am on Dartmoor a lot with my son as he is training for the Ten Tors, which is where around 2,400 people meet to hike the tors of Dartmoor. I help with teaching groups to navigate and how to navigate the moor.

"It was not a shock to see the animal, it just looked like a natural part of the landscape. None of us were scared, in fact as soon as the animal spotted us, it got out of the way pretty sharpish.”

Antony Clements-Thrower