Reported encounter back lanes near Croome Court (National Trust) at High Green, south of Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK
The "Werewolf of Worcester": Witnesses Say Black Panther, a Drawing Says Something Else
A couple say a huge black animal stalked their car near Croome Court at 1 a.m. They say panther. A sketch of it standing upright earned the werewolf label.
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One in the morning. A back lane in Worcestershire. Something big, black and muscular walks up to the car.
The people in the car say it was a panther. The headlines said werewolf. Both labels trace back to the same few minutes, and neither comes with a usable photograph.
What the couple told the Worcester News
On March 31, 2016, the Worcester News reported that a couple and a friend were driving back lanes near Croome Court at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday when a "gigantic, muscular beast" came toward them, rising as high as the car window. The place, per the paper, was High Green, south of Worcester.
The wife describes a "Rottweiler-sized" big cat with green eyes that caught the headlights. It lowered its head as it came on, she says, "as if it was 'stalking the car'." The husband says it drew level with the front passenger seat, where he was sitting, and was the same height as the window. He says it looked like it was "on steroids," that it walked "dead slowly," and that it was "definitely a panther." He says he saw a second pair of eyes in the dark and wondered whether there were two.
The friend driving reversed at speed. The animal, they say, sidled past without a second glance. The paper adds that he tried to take a photograph as they backed away.
The drawing
Metro, on April 7, says the couple drew the animal to help track it down, and that the sketch gave it its nickname. In Metro's description, the drawn figure stands on its hind legs like a human, with pointed teeth, human-like almond eyes and a tuft of chest hair. Metro says the couple "insist it was some sort of big cat" and that the animal "has been dubbed the 'Werewolf of Worcester' because of their drawing."
So the werewolf label comes from a sketch and a headline. The witnesses, as quoted, say panther. The Telegraph's piece of the same day carries the "Werewolf of Worcester" headline and the same agency picture credit as Metro, which suggests one account relayed twice, not two sightings. (Only the headline, byline and credit of the Telegraph page could be read.)
Metro also says the couple's photo, taken as they left, is "a bit blurry." It is not published in the pieces above.
The experts
The Worcester News asked around. A Worcestershire Wildlife Trust spokesman said it is "always possible" there is a panther or other big cat in the countryside, but "there hasn't yet been any firm evidence." Bob Lawrence, head of wildlife development at West Midland Safari and Leisure Park, said nobody seems able to produce a clear photograph of such an animal, and that a leopard or jaguar is "extremely unlikely." A circus had been in Bromsgrove, he noted, but called an escape "a long shot." He said big cats like that had never been kept at the safari park.
The paper also noted a Malvern report earlier the same month, in which a woman told West Mercia Police an animal "bigger than a dog" was "eating something fluffy." That is a separate claim and carries no link to the Croome Court account.
The record
The sources disagree on geography. The Worcester News puts the sighting at High Green, south of Worcester. Metro places it near Pershore and in the Cotswolds. The day is also inferred, not stated: the Worcester News says only "Tuesday," which, for a March 31 story, points to March 29.
What the record holds: three adults, one account, a blurry photograph nobody has published and a drawing that changed the animal's name. It holds no print, no hair and no second witness outside the car. Logged as a reported sighting with a contested label, the Croome Court animal stays on the board.
Related reading on the site: Couple Terrified By Werewolf In Croome Court UK.
Bottom line
Per the Worcester News, a couple and a friend say a huge, muscular black animal came up to their car near Croome Court at about 1 a.m. on a Tuesday in late March 2016, and the husband calls it "definitely a panther." Per Metro, their sketch of it standing upright produced the "Werewolf of Worcester" nickname, which the couple do not endorse. A wildlife trust says there is no firm evidence of big cats in the county.
Attribution / source table
- Claim: Car, 1 a.m. Tuesday, near Croome Court at High Green; "Rottweiler-sized," green eyes, "stalking the car"; "definitely a panther"; second pair of eyes; photograph attempt; Malvern report; Wildlife Trust and safari-park comments
Attribution: Worcester News (James Connell), Mar 31, 2016
Link: Worcester News - Claim: Drawing: upright, pointed teeth, almond eyes, chest tuft; couple "insist" big cat; "dubbed the 'Werewolf of Worcester'"; blurry photo; "near Pershore," "Cotswolds"
Attribution: Metro (Ashitha Nagesh), Apr 7, 2016
Link: Metro - Claim: Headline and picture credit only (page body not readable)
Attribution: The Telegraph (Helena Horton), Apr 7, 2016
Link: Telegraph - Claim: Earlier Monstrum report on the same sighting
Attribution: Monstrum Athenaeum, Apr 21, 2016
Link: Couple Terrified By Werewolf In Croome Court UK
Legal / disclaimer footer
Entertainment and cryptid-news commentary only. Nothing here confirms a werewolf, a big cat or any other creature. The sighting, the sketch and the expert comments are given as the Worcester News and Metro reported them, and each claim belongs to its source. The witnesses are not named, and the map location is approximate to town level.
Dramatic recreation based on the attributed account.
