Beast of Stroud: Three Wallabies Killed and Eaten

The bodies of three mutilated wallabies have been found in the Cotswolds just weeks after three deer were found savaged in what is believed to have been an attack by a big cat.

The bodies of the wallabies were found only a few miles from the scene of the earlier attack, which has been blamed on the so-called Beast of Stroud.

The animals had been gnawed to the bone and their insides piled beside the body. There were puncture wounds to their necks.

Experts said the gruesome find indicated an attack by a puma or panther. DNA tests are being carried out.

"There could be no creature other than a big cat that could bring down and kill these wallabies," big cat expert Frank Tunbridge told the Sun.

"The killer struck over two nights. The first night he killed two wallabies, stripped one of the carcasses down and hid the other under a pile of leaves and straw.

"The wallabies are only about 12 miles from Woodchester [where the roe deer were found] so it appears that this could be the same big cat.

"They have all the hallmarks of a panther or puma kill," added Tunbridge.

The wallabies were part of a private collection and were kept in a farmer's field in the Cotswold.