GIVE me the support and I will catch the "black beast" of the Forest, says Danny Nineham, the man who has studied elusive black cats for many years.

His offer comes hot on the heels of a savage attack on a family's dog in Old Moor's Wood, Longhope, and a Newent man's fears that a big cat may have attacked the cat flap in his back door.

"It's like a media circus over there now," Danny said of the Longhope incident in which collie cross Basil had his throat and neck torn in an attack a vet believes was caused by a panther-like animal.

Danny, who is sure that a hundred and possibly more big cats roam over huge territories throughout Britain, said he wished he had heard about the recent incidents before everyone moved in and obscured vital clues.

It would also have been a good opportunity to do some forensic work, such as tests of saliva left on the wound.

Danny is a serious and dedicated chronicler of all big cat sightings and has amassed a huge record of reports – and he believes he would have a real chance of catching the animal if he could get on the scent soon after an incident.

"All I really need is a couple of trained tracking dogs, Gascony Hounds or Blue Ticks that they use in Colorado, where people still hunt mountain lions.

"The animals aren't afraid of big cats, and if we could get on a fresh trail we could follow one until we traced it, then stun it with a tranquilliser dart – I have a Class 1 firearms certificate and a shotgun certificate.

"Then we could cage it and really know what we've got.

"But I wouldn't want anyone running away with thinking it's a gung-ho thing with guns blazing. We'd need a backup support system, with a vet to look after the animal.

"We'd also need to think in advance about aftercare, with a place ready for it in a zoo.

"I know a lot of people have said they know how to find the animals and know what to do. But I know I can deliver the goods, given the sponsorship."

Danny – like many people in the Forest, including policemen – says he has seen the animal and caught a glimpse of it as recently as last year.