When a big cat turned up in London, the RSPCA was often called in. Its officials and officers joined the police on the ground in three of the archive's cases. In 1963 RSPCA officials took part in the Shooters Hill "cheetah" hunt, alongside 126 policemen with 21 dogs and thirty soldiers, across 850 acres. In 2001 an RSPCA officer arrived with armed police and a London Zoo team after the Cricklewood lynx was found sitting on a patio. In 2005 the RSPCA attended the Beast of Sydenham scare. No animal was caught.
Stories4
