Big cats in the UK

[Sorcerer]

Having thought about it, the UK could probably sustain a small population of big cats if sticking with the strict definition of those within the Panthera clan, but not all five of these cats are equally suited.

• Leopard - Quite feasible given it's the smallest and most adaptable of the panthers, sometimes has the black coats we've seen with cryptids like the Black Beast of Exmoor, they can survive colder climates than Britain such as the Amur population in Siberia, and it could easily prey on some native deer.
• Tiger - Can also survive cold climates as seen in Siberia, but also too large to sustain in Britain given it's need for large territories and the prey requirements for a sustainable population. Britain's woodland is also too fragmented compared to Siberia given that tigers prefer more covered environments.
• Lion - Though often associated with hot environments like Africa and India, it might be able to tolerate Britain's climate better than we think. But like the tiger they require large territories and food biomass, and in this particular instance you need it for an entire pride than a single individual.
• Jaguar - Not likely. Though highly adaptable they generally prefer tropical rainforests and Britain's cooler climate combined with a lack of warm, productive habitats make sustainable populations unlikely.
• Snow leopard - Actually the least suited to Britain. The cold climates won't be a problem, but the lack of extensive rugged, high-altitude mountain habits almost certainly would be.

But in general, if Britain actually wanted to reintroduce some native wildcats, the Eurasian lynx would probably be better suited. But what they will all have in common is habitat fragmentation and inevitable conflict with humans, particularly farmers who will want to protect their livestock. I don't think actual predation on people will be an issue though.

Is that a snag? i can think of a few families were being predated might actually help the gene pool , But as others have pointed out, there is one predator, far scarier, and cunning than any feline type, no matter how big, and that's us, Humans, we rose to the top of the food chain, because we eliminated all threats to us, we hunted the things that hunted us,

This is ultimately the biggest obstacle, and we would do far more to cats than they would do to us. The only disagreement here is that we're not top of the food chain; we have elevated ourselves beyond it. We're also not apex predators, we are the ultimate generalists which gives us an edge over many other species.