Anomalous "Big Cat" Spotted in Background of British Morning Show May Be Dog

A still image of the animal filmed during Good Morning Britain. (ITV) — A still image of the animal filmed during Good Morning Britain. *(ITV)*

Viewers of Good Morning Britain were surprised on Wednesday to see a mysterious black animal walking in the background during a segment filmed onsite at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Hertfordshire, England. Host Andi Peters was attempting to showcase a swan bobbing on the water at the end of his first segment, when viewers spotted the animal and began alerting the show.

@GMB think its a cat #andypeters pic.twitter.com/9V7B5wUs0A
— michael goulston (@michaelgoulston) April 7, 2021

Peters didn’t notice the animal during filming, but did address the mystery later on-air.

"I have some breaking news of my own. Earlier today we were in this very spot on Bury Lake in Hertfordshire, viewers said that whilst I was doing the competition they spotted a black shaped creature on the banks, that then walked off," he told co-hosts Adil Ray and Ranvir Singh. "We have had a look for you guys, we have looked around, we can’t see anything but obviously you all spotted something on the shores. Could it have been someone walking a dog? The word ‘wolf’ has been used. I cannot confirm or deny.”

The morning show host did not appear to take the sighting seriously.

"This is the stuff that Countryfile would love. You don’t get this on Countryfile," Peters joked. "Viewers that saw something don’t worry, I am safe. My entire crew is safe and we will continue to look in case it is a wolf or a wolf-like creature."

Following Peters mentioning the sighting, Matt Capon, senior video journalist for the Daily Mail, shared a video clip featuring the animal to Twitter.

When I heard @andipeters mention that #GMB viewers had spotted something on the banks of the lake in Rickmansworth I went back and had a look...🐈‍⬛ pic.twitter.com/Npq4tF8BIs
— Matt Capon (@MattLCapon) April 7, 2021

"I clocked [Peters] mention it on a segment later in the show and thought it was worth having a look and I wasn't expecting to see THAT," said Capon of the animal in the video.

Viewer reactions in response to the clip shared by Capon were mixed.

"Looks like a big cat to me. A black leopard or jaguar. Its movement is so much like one of those," commented one viewer.

"Back end, tail and fluff on legs, definitely a dog," commented another.

An informal survey done by Capon showed that, of the more than 200 people who responded, over half believed the animal to be a cat.

So what is it?
— Matt Capon (@MattLCapon) April 7, 2021

Erron Gordon, the morning show’s director, responded to the video, saying he’d discussed it with two of his colleagues, and while he thinks the animal is a dog, his colleagues “think otherwise.”

So myself and two of our fab @GMB team @CameronDLWalker & @xemilymulliganx had a look at this post show in the newsroom and I’m certain it’s a dog, Emily and Cameron think otherwise 🤔 #ItsADog 🐕‍🦺 https://t.co/C9lpWjtHqt
— Erron Gordon (@errongordon) April 7, 2021

On the next morning’s show, Peters said that he'd been contacted by Sarah Collins, who claimed the animal was her dog Coco.

Reports of anomalous big cats are relatively common in England, with several high profile sightings reported last year; including one witness who claimed their dog had been attacked by a “large cat” while they were out walking in Birstall, a woman in Cumbria who shared a series of photos featuring an animal that many believe to be a puma, and the image of a "large wildcat with big claws" shared by a man in Cambridge.

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