Net closes on North’s big cat

THE net was closing in last night on a big cat running wild on a stretch of Northern Ireland’s coastline.

Police and animal welfare officers said they had narrowed the 150sq mile search down to a wooded area near the village of Ballybogey, outside Portrush, Co Antrim.

The big cat thought to be either a puma or a panther has been blamed for mauling several sheep after being set loose by a rogue owner who faces prosecution once it is caught, police said.