Research into possible Woodchester wild cat finds no cat DNA on deer

University of Warwick and National Trust : Research into possible Woodchester wild cat finds no cat DNA on deer. Extensive DNA tests by experts at the University of Warwick on two deer carcasses found in Gloucestershire have not found any indication of a big cat presence. The National Trust asked the University to test a roe deer carcass found near Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire in early January after examination of the wounds led to speculation that it may have been killed by a big cat. Comprehensive DNA tests have found fox DNA on the Woodchester carcass and what is expected to be fox DNA on the second deer carcass found a few miles away. Robin Allaby, Associate Professor at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, said: "We did not detect cat DNA on either deer carcass. Other than deer, by far the strongest genetic signal we found on the Woodchester Park carcass was from a fox. That fox DNA was found on the ribs, legs and fur plucking sites from the Woodchester deer carcass." "On the second deer carcass we found canid DNA.