Woman testing 'big cat' traces

The creature Paula Ebanks saw was the size of a large Alsatian

A Devon woman who believes she spotted a big cat in her garden has sent away samples of the animal's hair for tests.

Paula Ebanks of Silverton near Exeter awoke early on Saturday after hearing twigs snap in her garden and looked out her window to see a large white animal.

She said: "I leapt out of bed thinking it was an intruder. It got to a corner and sprung, two big springs across and it was out of sight."

She said the 3ft-long creature left white tufts of hair in the hedge.

She said: "Its whole movements were very feline, its gait was feline without a shadow of a doubt."

She described the creature as being the size of a large Alsatian, and clearly visible in the dark because of its light colour.

The 2ins-long tufts of white-beige hair have been sent to Dartmoor Zoological Park for analysis.

She believes it to be the first time a big cat has been seen in the area of her house, on the edge of Silverton and surrounded by countryside.