A woman out walking in the Forest of Dean was staggered to see a herd of deer being chased down by what she believes was a wolf. She had expected to maybe see a wild boar or even a polecat, yet not for one moment did she expect to see a wolf from just a few metres away and in broad daylight.

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“I decided I was going to go on up ahead on to Verderers trail. When I got near the track at the top, about ten deer were running from my left out of the woods onto the track, and in the middle of them there was a wolf.”

April could not believe all she was seeing. The deer and wolf were so close for a moment and she was able watch on as the deer made their way down the track with a wolf hot on their heels.

April said: "The deer and wolf was about two metres away from me. They were running down the track and was at the top.

"The wolf was bigger than the deer, and its colours really stood out. The fur of the wolf was grey and it had dark flecks towards it lower back and its tail was so bushy.

"The deer and the wolf had run off and into the bracken. I was there just speechless until my partner had caught up with me.

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Keen to find out if there have been any more sightings of wolves in Gloucestershire, April contacted wildlife expert Frank Tunbridge.

Frank, 76, from Podsmead said: "A walk in the woods in the Forest of Dean can be an interesting and enlightening experience where our native wildlife is concerned. Especially if they are lucky enough to encounter some of the varied bird species, deer, or even see a wild boar or two, if you happen to be in the right place at the right time.

"l received an email from a lady outlining her experience of suddenly seeing a small herd of deer being hotly pursued by a wolf. After, when back home she checked out wolf images, and they confirmed that the physical shape and colouration matched the animal that she had seen.

"Many people will discount her report, implying that it was probably a husky, or maybe a wolfdog. However over the years, I have had received quite had few similar reports from the Forest of Dean area, and in every case they were identified as displaying all the features and behaviour of a wolf.

"Wolves are very efficient predators, secretive, and great wanderers, who can scent a human on the wind from over a mile away, so are not often seen. When one crosses your path, it is a sight that you will remember forever, similar to encountering a British big cat, or a lynx , which also exist in Gloucestershire, and throughout the UK.

“Many exotic species, have now established themselves throughout wild places across the UK, after being dumped and released when the 1976 Dangerous Animals act came into force. The amount of prey species in the Forest of Dean, especially the over abundance of deer, rabbits, pheasants, and wild boar piglets being available, will fuel any large carnivore’s diet for years.”