THE BEAST of Bucks is back - and this time it's for real.

Big cat experts confirmed this week that tracks found at Wycombe Heights Golf Course match those of a young puma.

Sightings of a large cat were reported to police just before 11am on Monday before experts rushed to the course in Rayners Avenue, Loudwater, to take a plaster cast of paw prints at the scene.

Police have drafted in animal specialist Trevor Smith to catch the Golden Retriever-sized beast.

Mr Smith, who runs High Wycombe-based company Animal World, which supplies animals for television, said: "This has got to be taken seriously. If you came across it in a shed it would probably claw at you and run away. If cats are very hungry they can be dangerous."

The predator, more commonly known as a mountain lion, has already been blamed for the death of a domestic cat and several squirrels whose severed tails have been discovered in the area. In the wild, such beasts can grow to 7ft in length and stand at 4ft tall but they are usually found in the rocky mountains of North America rather than the rolling Chiltern Hills.

However, Mr Smith, who will use a lasso-style instrument to catch the cat, insists it poses no real threat to humans as it prefers to feast on smaller mammals.

Graham Lowe, Wycombe Heights Golf Course manager, said the cat was spotted by a golfer at the club and a farming couple living nearby.

Mr Lowe quipped: "Perhaps it was discussing things with fellow pumas and came up here to eat all the Eagles and Birdies.

"We've all heard of Tiger Woods - maybe we'll rename ourselves Puma Forest."

There have been various sightings of big cats in Bucks over the years suggesting the existence of our very own Beast of Bucks.

But this has never been confirmed by experts and some people thought it was a myth.

It is not clear why wild cats are loose in Britain.

One theory is that after the Dangerous Breeds Acts passed in the 1960s, owners of exotic pet cats, such as pumas, panthers and lynx, released them into the wild to dodge licence costs.

Call High Wycombe police on 01494 465888 or Trevor Smith on 01494 448710, if you spot the beast.

See tomorrow's Bucks Free Press for update.