In Hérault, this town hall wants to be reassuring after reports of a “big cat” in the area

A “big cat” was spotted this weekend in the forest of Saint-Martin-de-la-Garrigue, near Montagnac. It could be a serval.

This is not the kind of animal you would expect to come across in a forest in France. A “big cat” was spotted on the weekend of July 14, 2024 in the forest of Saint-Martin-de-la-Garrigue near Montagnac (Hérault), reports France Bleu Hérault.

Quickly, walkers were alarmed by the presence of a “panther” in the area, prompting a call for caution from the town hall on Facebook. Immediately, gendarmes from Pézenas and members of the municipal police of Montagnac carried out patrols on Sunday to try to find the animal, in vain.

A witness heard by the police was however able to reassure the residents, according to the town hall: “Given the estimated weight of the animal and the descriptions given by the witness, wildlife experts believe it could be a savannah or a serval.“, we can read in a Facebook post from the town hall.

Wanting to be reassuring after the slight wave of panic, the town hall of Montagnac clarified to France Bleu that “No, it’s not a panther and there’s no point in scaring the population.“. “It is a wild animal and you should not approach it too much. It is possible that it escaped, but nothing confirms it today. It is a protected animal, having one at home is prohibited. Unless its owner has decided to release it into the wild to avoid having problems with the authorities”says Jean-Luc Guirao, the deputy in charge of security.

The spotted animal, much larger than a cat, measuring about 80 hundredths of a centimeter at the withers and about a meter long, has been wandering around the area for several weeks, according to the town hall, which “strongly recommends that locals stay away from him” And “invites anyone who might see it to take a photo of it to make sure it is indeed a serval.“France Bleu Hérault specifies that in October 2023, such an animal had been captured in Carcassonne.