If you go down to the woods today...

Richard Collins on the big cat scare in the mountains of Munster

THE monastery at Mount Melleray in the Knockmealdown mountains, between Tipperary and Waterford, is a place of security and peace. People go there to heal their troubled souls. But now, it seems, there’s a dark presence the area, not a demonic spirit but a creature of tooth and claw, a panther.

Gardaí, it’s claimed, have told walkers to “exercise great caution” but their press office denies that any such advice was given. Just what caution you might exercise on encountering a panther in the forest is not at all clear. It’s no use racing up the nearest tree; panthers are excellent climbers. Turning and fleeing would be the most dangerous response of all; predatory animals instinctively chase anything which runs from them. The best strategy is to stand one’s ground, smile at the cat and bid him the time of day.