Zoo owner says big cats are living wild in UK - and he's seen one

The owner of a West Country zoo which was immortalised in the Hollywood film ‘We Bought a Zoo’ starring Matt Damon, has claimed that big cats are living wild in Britain. Ben Mee, who has been running the zoo since 2006 and was portrayed by Damon in the movie, shared his encounter with a big cat in the UK during an interview for a new documentary airing this week.

He advised the public not to run if they come across one, but to speak to it in a soothing manner instead. Mee’s interview is part of the latest episode of the new TV series ‘Weird Britain’, set to air tonight (Wed) on Blaze.

During the interview, Mee not only expressed his belief that big cats can survive in the wilds of Britain, but also claimed to have seen one himself. Recalling the incident, he said: "I picked up my brother from the station, and his business partner at the time, and we were driving back into the village at midnight, and I slowed down to let what looked like a deer cross the road, because a deer is silly enough to make a sudden jump.

“We waited to watch this animal in the headlights. We were able to get a good look at it and it wasn’t a deer at all it was a big cat, it was a puma.”