Beast of Bodmin Moor

Beast of Bodmin Moor : is a black panther like creature that is believed to inhabit Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.  Indeed there have been around 60 other big cat sightings recorded in the area since 1983 and experts believe there is a population of big cats in and around mid-Cornwall.  There have even been some sightings as far apart as Kent and Scotland.

Photographs like the one below and even films had been taken of these beasts.  However there has been little physical evidence to support the sightings. That was until recently when a 14-year-old boy discovered a skull with large fangs, in the River Fowey on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.  Below is a picture of the skulls that he discovered.

       

Perhaps the best supporting evidence yet for the beast's existence comes in the form of recently released 20-second video footage which may show a species of wild cat previously thought to be extinct.  Locals in mid-Cornwall believe the animal could be just one of a number of big cats roaming the area.  Paul Tyler, MP for North Cornwall, is submitting a dossier of evidence to the government for examination by experts.  In 1995 the UK Government compiled a report in which zoologists concluded that there was no evidence to show that big cats existed on the moor.  However Newquay Zoo curator and wild cat expert, Mike Thomas, has said the 20-second video is "the best evidence yet" of big cats roaming Bodmin Moor.  He believes the animal could be a species of wild cat which was supposed to have become extinct in Britain more than a century ago.

Useful Links
The BBC News Website  
The National History Museum
Captive Beast at Exmoor Zoo, Calls to Wild Beast Roaming on Exmoor (ITV Local News Clip)