The Beast of Bodmin is a mythical creature that is said to inhabit and terrorize the Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England in the early 1990s. According to legend, the beast is a large, predatory cat that preys on livestock and sometimes even humans. Described as being a large three-foot-long feline with a tail of eighteen inches, eyes which resemble yellow orbs of light, and foul screams which resemble one hundred times that of a woman. Thought to be a hoax at first, but with detailing reports of common livestock being slain, large cat sightings in the area, and confirmed puma-like prints found in 1997 proved that a sizable feline was indeed active in the area.
The legend of the Beast of Bodmin dates to at least the 18th century, when reports of a large, mysterious cat on the moor first began to surface. Since then, there have been countless reports of people seeing the beast or finding the remains of animals that they believe were killed by it. Some people claim to have seen the beast up close, describing it as a large, black cat with piercing eyes and a sleek, muscular body. Others have reported seeing large paw prints or hearing the beast’s distinctive roar.
With the many reported sightings, there has never been any hard evidence to support the existence of the Beast of Bodmin. Some people believe that the beast is a type of wildcat that has somehow managed to survive in the harsh, isolated conditions of the moor. Others think that the beast may be a large domestic cat that has gone feral and is preying on livestock. Still others believe that the legend of the Beast of Bodmin is nothing more than a myth or a folktale.
In recent years, there have been several efforts to try and find concrete evidence of the Beast of Bodmin’s existence. In 1995, the British government even commissioned a study to investigate the legend and determine whether the beast was real. The study, which was conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, concluded that there was very little evidence of felines existing in Britain.
People remain convinced that the beast is real and continue to report sightings of the creature. Several reported encounters with the Beast of Bodmin have been widely publicized in the media. On July 24, 1995, less than a week after the UK government report was released, a piece of unexpected evidence was found near the river Fowey on the southern edge of Bodmin moor by a 14-year-old boy, Barney Lanyon-Jones.
Protruding out of the water, Barney had found a large cat skull measuring four inches wide and seven inches long. With the lower jaw missing, the skull possessed two prominent incisors which advocated it was a possibly a leopard. The Lanyon-Jones family then turned the skull over to London’s British Museum of Natural History for verification.
The museum’s Assistant keeper of Zoology, Dr. Ian Bishop, examined the skull and determined it was from a young male leopard. He also found that the feline had not died in Britain and may have been imported into the United Kingdom. Scientists reject claims of domestic felines because of the required large numbers needed to maintain a breeding population. Also, noting that climate and food supply issues would also hinder the creatures and assure its survival to be unlikely.
In 2008, a man claimed to have seen the beast in a field near his home. He described it as a large, black cat with piercing green eyes, and said that it stared at him for a moment before disappearing into the underbrush.
However, in November of 1999, an outbreak of animal mutilations of a calf and two sheep were torn apart by an unknown creature which hinted at the fact that there was an undisclosed vicious animal lurking throughout the moor. Famous curators and animal experts believe this animal could be the species which supposedly went extinct more than a century ago. Since introduction of Britain’s 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act which made ownership of exotic pet’s illegal, some speculate these sightings and occurrences could be cats which have escaped forcing the owner to hesitate in reporting of these animals due to avoidance of legal trouble.
There was also one well-known incident, a farmer claimed to have seen the beast attacking one of his sheep. He described it as a large, black cat with piercing green eyes, and said that it was unlike any animal he had ever seen before. Other people have reported seeing large paw prints or hearing the beast’s distinctive roar, which some say sounds like a mix between a lion and a panther. Despite the farmer’s claims, however, there was no concrete evidence to support his story, and many people believe that he may have simply been mistaken or hallucinating.
There are several theories as to what the Beast of Bodmin could be if it is indeed real. Most believe that it is a type of wildcat, such as a lynx or a puma, that has somehow managed to survive in the isolated conditions of the moor. Others think that it could be a large domestic cat that has gone feral and is preying on livestock. Still others believe that the beast may be a genetic experiment that has escaped from a laboratory and is now living in the wild.
With the many theories and the numerous reported sightings, the existence of the Beast of Bodmin remains a mystery. Some people believe that the legend is nothing more than a myth, while others are convinced that the beast is real and is lurking on the Bodmin Moor, waiting to attack.
Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the legend of the Beast of Bodmin continues to capture the imagination of people all over the world for centuries. Some people visit the Bodmin Moor hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious creature, while others are content to simply read about it or watch documentaries about it on television. Whether or not the beast is real, it remains an enduring and mysterious part of the local folklore and culture. Despite the lack of scientific proof, the legend of the Beast of Bodmin is likely to continue for years to come.