A COUGAR has been reported prowling in the English countryside by two walkers.

Anne Terranova, 57, and her pal say they spotted the beast in the next field as they paused to rest following a stroll in rural Gloucestershire.

They said it was chestnut brown and 2-3ft high.

Anne told Gloucestershire Live: "We stood for a good five minutes and it was by the fence that was about waist height.

"It was certainly feline and there is absolutely no way that the animal had the profile of a dog.

"The size and shape of it was like a mountain lion.

"We also saw a rabbit in the field and the big cat was at least 20 times bigger than that.

"It was not a fox because you could tell by the tail."

The walkers carried on their stroll after the animal vanished into woods.

Anne added: "There were so many things going through my mind.

"We were both quite excited by what we saw, and there was no element of fear or alarm.

“The cat was quite a distance from us and we carried on with our walk after it went back into the woods."

Afterwards Anne wrote about her sighting at Watledge, near Stroud, Gloucs, on a community Facebook page.

She said: "There was a post from a lady saying she had seen the same."

The Sun Online has contacted Gloucestershire Constabulary for comment.