Police now believe the big cat on the loose is a panther

A spotter-plane was used to help police officers on the ground after the animal was seen in fields near Ballymoney on Friday.

The cat was spotted by a local woman, and then seen again by police officers who saw it crossing a country road.

A full search was carried out but the animal, said to be bigger than a labrador dog, is thought to have taken refuge in a large forest nearby.

Police wildlife liaison officer Chief Inspector Mark Mason said the animal is now believed to be a panther, based on the descriptions given by the two officers.

He said it was unlikely that it posed any risk to people.

"Even in the wild, these animals will normally only attack the weak and the lame," he said.

The big cat was blamed for an attack on this sheep

"It is not used to killing to live - therefore I think it is of very low risk to us."

USPCA chief executive Stephen Philpott said they found a footprint thought to have been left by the animal on Friday.

He said 21 eyewitnesses had reported sightings in the last three weeks.

"As far as we're concerned, this exotic cat is on the loose and is very unsettled," he said.

Attacked

Over the past three weeks, the animal is believed to have covered over 200 square miles of north Antrim.

On Thursday, the animal was suspected of killing a ram on a farm on the Causeway coast.

The sheep had major injuries and bite marks to its side.

None of the other sheep in the field appeared to have suffered injuries and the attack was not thought to have been carried out by dogs.

Last week, an animal, thought to be a wild cat, was spotted on the north coast with several reports of sightings in the Portballintrae, Portrush and Bushmills areas.

People had been warned not to approach such an animal but to report any sightings to the police or the USPCA.

And earlier this week, police and USPCA officers carried out searches in woods outside Cookstown after reports that an animal killed and partly ate a calf in the area.