THESE are the remains of a ewe investigator Danny Nineham believes was probably killed by a big cat near Chepstow racecourse.
The sheep was cleanly killed and eaten in just one night – but, annoyingly for Mr Nineham, so much of the flesh had been eaten that the tell-tale puncture marks left by a cat were missing.
"There are many indications that this was a big cat attack. The characteristics are all there – it was close to woodland and far away from a dwelling. It was a clean kill as evidenced by the concentration of wool in only a small area," he said.
"A dog would have chased the whole flock and killed several sheep. But because the carcass had been stripped clean, unfortunately I could find no evidence of claw marks or canine damage."
The sheep was found by Mr Frank Young on Mr John Williams' farm. It was been in perfect health the previous day.
Mr Nineham has recently investigated a number of sightings in the area including a cat spotted near a derelict house at Piercefield.
There have been other sightings near St Arvans and Caldicot and Mr Nineham has also responded to a call from the Army to investigate a sighting near Caerwent.
"There is no doubt in my mind that there is a significant big cat population in and around the Wye Valley," he said.
Mr Nineham believes the Chepstow kill was probably the work of a female with cubs. They had all feasted on the carcass which was later attacked by foxes.
"There are typical characteristics associated with a big cat kills, but on this occasion it is impossible to be 100 per cent sure," he said.
Mr Nineham will feature in an hour-long documentary on big cats to be screened on Channel 4 later this month and he has also been involved in filming for an ITV programme to be shown in June.
The foot and mouth outbreak has severely curtailed his own fieldwork and traps set in isolated parts of the Wye Valley have had to be taken away until the outbreak is brought under control.