A big game cat, perhaps a jaguar, could be on the loose and prowling through East Hampton, according to published reports.
State Department of Environmental Conservation officials said they’ve received several calls around a farm near 56 Spring Close Highway on Monday, according to Patch.com.
The reports were of a “a greyish cat-like creature about 5-feet long, 2-feet high at the shoulder with a long striped tail eating composting vegetables and meat scraps,” DEC spokesman Bill Fonda told the online news outfit.
The cat sprinted into the brush before officials could spot it.
Officers discovered tracks in the area, though they couldn’t positively identify the animal that was spotted.
DEC officials plan to install a camera near the farm, to possibly capture the animal on film.
“There’s not sufficient evidence of a cougar, panther, jaguar or similar exotic creature,” Fonda said.
The DEC official said he’s received these kinds of tips before but they’ve never panned out to be an exotic animal.
“They never really bare out,” Fonda said, adding that they could recall none that had. “Usually it winds up being dogs or cats.”