THE sound of a roar at night has convinced a family that there is a population of big cats living in the Corwen area.

The family who live near Coed Pen Y Pigyn woods have reported hearing a roar “identical to a puma’s” while letting their dog out in the evening.

The family, who reported the encounter to Puma Watch North Wales, said their own research has led them to believe the noises were made by a big cat.

They told Puma Watch: “We live next to Coed Pen Y Pigyn in Corwen and often hear animals at night, when letting our dog out for a wee.

"However, this time we heard what sounded like a loud, medium to high pitch roar from the woods.

“We compared the sound to YouTube sound effect videos of Pumas and Cougars and the growls and roars were identical.”

Tony Jones founded the Puma Watch group to investigate and document sightings and other evidence of big cats in North Wales as well as further afield in Cheshire and Shropshire.

He said the latest Corwen encounter has been added to the group's interactive map.

Tony said: "It’s the latest in a long series of reported big cats, both within Corwen itself and the wider Dee Valley. Back in June, a “large, black creature” ran towards a Corwen resident while she was hanging washing on the line."

He added: "And around a year ago, Corwen hit the headlines after a suspected puma was caught on video walking on a railway line. This was within a few hundred metres of Coed Pen y Pigyn woods.”

"Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles. They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent.

"Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles.

"They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent."

Pen y Pigyn wood is set in the Dee Valley near Corwen town centre.

It contains an abundance of native wildlife, it is one of the last places where you can see a red squirrel, that may have been responsible for the noises heard.

It has also been the site of significant moments in Welsh history.