CAN you identify this huge paw print?

The marking was discovered in a bunker at a Gravesend golf course - and has left the finders puzzled.

The question now is whether it was left by the elusive black panther believed to be roaming north Kent, pranksters - or some other exotic creature.

The large tracks were discovered by golfer Paul Bowles in a sand bunker.

The 28-year-old, of Wrotham, Road, Gravesend was playing a round of golf with friends at Southern Valley Golf Club on Saturday, February 14, when they spotted the set of footprints by the seventh and 11th hole.

Mr Bowles said: “My brother Kevin put his size 10 foot beside it and it wasn’t much smaller. The tracks stretched across the width of the bunker. I can’t see how it could be a hoax because there were no other markings in the sand.”

Only last week The Messenger reported on a big cat sighting in a field near Bean Primary School.

It is also not the first time unusual animal tracks have been discovered on the golf course in Thong Lane, Shorne.

A member of staff revealed how the paw prints are becoming a popular talking point at the club.

She said: “There have been prints like this before. It is usually the green keepers who spot them when they are out first thing in the morning. We think it is a panther.”

As part of our own investigations The Messenger contacted the West Kent Badger Group to see if they could rule out the possibility of badger paw prints.

Derek Wilkinson from WKBG said: “It is possible that badger paws could grow to the same size as a human hand but not the size of a man’s foot.”

What do you think?

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