Over the years, many fleeting glimpses of mysterious dark shapes described by eyewitnesses as ”big cats”, and sets of ominous looking paw prints have fuelled the theory that the famous Beast of Bodmin (or rather its descendants) might still
be out there stalking the desolate shadows of Bodmin Moor and the surrounding areas of rural Cornwall.
The “beast” whatever it is, was first made public in 1983 (though reports appear to begin in 1978) and ever since sightings of the creature have been reported.
The latest report: (published on Facebook)
“Driving home tonight and a huge, what I thought was, a black dog ran out in front of my car near the Fowey cross turning. I had to brake hard not to hit it, but now [I am] thinking it might be a black panther as it had a huge tail and
long legs, [that were?] very muscular.”
The eyewitness, who is not identified in the Cornwall Live article, then added:
“How I didn’t hit it, I’ll never know.”
“[There were] Lots of cars in front and behind me so [I would] like to know if they saw it too.”
“It was so quick too.”
Fowey (pronounced ‘Foy) might be familiar, as this is the town where, in 1995, a boy walking by the River Fowey discovered a large cat skull. The skull, which measured about 10 cm (4 inches) long by 18 cm (7 inches) wide, possessed two
sharp prominent canines. There was, as might be expected, no lower jaw attached and minimal decay present.
The skull was sent to the Natural History Museum in London for verification, where it was quickly determined that it was in fact from of a young male leopard, however, unfortunately for those of interested in such things, one that
had not died in Britain and had likely been imported as part of a leopard-skin rug. The back of the skull was cleanly cut off in a way that is commonly used by taxidermists when mounting the head on a rug, and there was also an egg case inside the skull that
had been laid by a tropical cockroach not found in the UK.
This all happened less than a week after a dismissive government report was published, keeping the beast, whether it existed as a flesh and blood reality or not, very much in the public imagination.
Anyway, back to Feb 2020.
In this report’s favour, the witness admitted that when first spotted, she initially believed the animal to be a large black dog, and only after looking again thought its long tail and muscular legs reminded her more of a large cat. This
might suggest an observant and rational individual who changed her initial identification only when she had a better view of the animal.
Unfortunately this is where the favours end. There is very little that can be determined from this report, other than the creature was a large, dark coloured (possibly black), quadrupedal mammal with a long tail. The witness herself says
that “It was so quick too”, suggesting that the animal shot past at breakneck speed and unfortunately; going by the ambiguous features reported, one likely not inducive to positive identification when combined with the speed of the car and the initial shock
of the encounter, in which she almost collided with the animal.
Despite this, I personally think it is possible that the witness could have had a fleeting encounter with a genuine big cat, as I’m almost convinced, that small populations leopards and pumas have at least in the past, been moving (and
greatly avoiding the other species) continually between Cornwall and Devon; possibly even breeding. (Not together. Personally I find the theory of natural hybridising between these species in Britain to be, at best, unlikely!)
It is interesting to note that there were other vehicles in front and behind the eyewitness’s car that, with a little luck, might have also caught a glimpse of the mysterious animal and come forward, providing more much needed data. Further
corresponding reports would be invaluable at this point, as on its own, very little can be deduced by this latest observation. Not even what species we might be dealing with.
Sometimes regional legends travel farther than the transient animals themselves; encouraging misidentifications and potential hoaxes, making it all the more difficult to determine how many of these animals could potentially exist in Britain,
and to predict regular territories and potential target breeding areas. So far, we are basically limited to testimonial evidence (e.g
Mr or Mrs so and so saw a female panther and two smaller cubs while walking the dogs the other week – that sort of thing.), which unfortunately, no matter how credible, can never be used as definitive evidence to prove these animals are living in a wild
state in Britain, let alone predicting regular breeding territories.
In the absence of any corroborating evidence and the ambiguity of the latest description, at this time, I think it’s reasonable to suggest that this report is most likely a genuine misidentification of some other known species; one briefly
and inadequately observed through car headlights at night.
However, if further reports do come forth (such as more from the same area over the next few months, or better still from the other vehicles occupants mentioned in this report), or preferably something tangible, like signs of depredation
in the area not clearly attributable to known British carnivores, or the collection of any biological samples, I would be completely prepared, like any good researcher, to re-evaluate this report, though at this time I think it’s best described as inconclusive.
More data needed.
