Forestry workers, farmers and hill-walkers are on the alert following reports that a panther may be on the loose close to the south Tipperary village of Kilsheelan.
Gardaí have confirmed that they are treating as "genuine" the reported sighting of a "panther-type animal" in the densely-wooded foothills of the Comeragh Mountains on the Co Waterford border.
An employee of Coillte, the State forestry company, saw a "strange black animal roaming in the wood" while working at Coolishal Wood on the afternoon of January 3rd. He described it as "bigger than a Labrador or Alsatian with a large head and big tail" which "looked like a panther".
Paddy Fitzgerald, Coillte forest manager at Kilsheelan said the employee, who does not wish to be identified, is "very reliable" and confirmed that the sighting had occurred "on the Rathgormack side of Kilsheelan". Mr Fitzgerald said the animal could have "moved on" and that any search would be extremely difficult as "the wood is vast - and covers around 5,000 acres".
A Garda spokesman yesterday revealed that they had reports of similar sightings close to the village of Melleray, Co Waterford, "south of the Knockmealdown mountains" before Christmas. He said a wildlife ranger has visited the areas to search for footprints and droppings but none have been found to date. Gardaí said the public should "exercise great caution" if they spotted the beast. In Kilsheelan, a pretty village by the banks of the River Suir five miles from Clonmel, local man Seán Quinlan said there was "a lot of talk about the sighting".
There are unconfirmed reports that a businessman in Carrick-on-Suir had imported two panthers to keep as pets but one "got loose".