Post by hi224 on Jun 28, 2020 2:17:40 GMT
I wanted to share a mystery from my childhood, which my parents terrified me with, on the long dark drives to one of the most beautiful areas of the U.K..
Bodmin Moor is a rugged and wild area of outstanding natural beauty, located in the north-west area of Cornwall, UK. The granite moorland covers 208 square kilometres (129 miles) and is en-route for anyone heading to Cornwall’s beautiful beaches.
Bodmin Moor was also romanticised in the Daphne Du Maurier novel, Jamaica Inn. The Inn itself claims to be haunted! For those interested, I have shared a link below.
While beautiful in pleasant weather, the is also known to be eerie in poor conditions. The moorland is also known for changeable weather conditions.
So now to the beast! In 1978, the reports of a phantom wildcat were first made. A large dark cat with blinding yellow-white eyes was sighted.
As time passed, more and more sightings were reported and some video footage shared. Rumours were abound that a wild puma-like cat was skulking around the area.
Reports were taken seriously enough that the Government conducted a six-month investigation in 1995. The report could not conclude the existence, or lack of, a wild cat in the area.
Rumours still persisted and there have been several reports, over the years, of slaughtered livestock. Is this a wild cat’s food source?
While the idea may seem unlikely, until 1976, it was legal to keep a wild cat as a pet. When the law changed, owners had to obtain a license, transfer their animals to a zoo or have them put to sleep. Zoos were soon filled and some animals had to be put to sleep.
In fact, restrictions were only introduced in 1981, making it illegal to release a wild cat into the English countryside. Could an owner not re-home their beloved animal and be unwilling to end its life, instead giving it a shot of survival on the Cornish moors?
In other areas of the country, there are local legends and rumours of released large cats.
It has been rumoured that Mary Chipperfield released three pumas from her Plymouth zoo in 1978. Plymouth is only around 50km/32 miles from the moorlands. If so, are these the mysterious beasts or was the rumour the source of the tail (pun intended!)? The date appears to match the sightings!
However, scientists have disputed that big cats could be released in such numbers to sustain a colony, survive the weather and limited food sources.
In 1995, a school boy found a big cat skull on the banks of the local river. For believers, this was finally tangible evidence of wild cats in the area. However, subsequent testing showed that the skull was actually part of an imported leopard print rug!
If it would not be sustainable for a cat to survive in the area, is the beast a phantom or the product of playful imaginations?
Of the over 60 alleged sightings, some have claimed that the beast made inhuman sounds, including those like a person screaming. British folklore often refers to a haunting black dog, stalking the country for hundreds of years.
So is the beast really a wildcat, a phantom, a figment of the imagination or a piece of British folklore?
Links:
More info on Bodmin Moor - www.cornwalls.co.uk/bodmin/bodmin_moor.htm
The Jamaica Inn - www.jamaicainn.co.uk
Big cat release - www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/21/beast-of-bodmin-mystery-solved-as-dartmoor-zoo-released-pumas-in/
Wild cat laws in the U.K. - www.ukbigcats.co.uk/history.php
The Beast - www.cornwalls.co.uk/myths-legends/beast_of_bodmin.htm and owlcation.com/humanities/Alien-Big-Cats-The-Beast-of-Bodmin-Moor-and-the-Beast-of-Buchan
2020 sighting - www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/big-black-cat-sighting-sparks-3808263.amp
Black dog - www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore/phantom-black-dogs/
Bodmin Moor is a rugged and wild area of outstanding natural beauty, located in the north-west area of Cornwall, UK. The granite moorland covers 208 square kilometres (129 miles) and is en-route for anyone heading to Cornwall’s beautiful beaches.
Bodmin Moor was also romanticised in the Daphne Du Maurier novel, Jamaica Inn. The Inn itself claims to be haunted! For those interested, I have shared a link below.
While beautiful in pleasant weather, the is also known to be eerie in poor conditions. The moorland is also known for changeable weather conditions.
So now to the beast! In 1978, the reports of a phantom wildcat were first made. A large dark cat with blinding yellow-white eyes was sighted.
As time passed, more and more sightings were reported and some video footage shared. Rumours were abound that a wild puma-like cat was skulking around the area.
Reports were taken seriously enough that the Government conducted a six-month investigation in 1995. The report could not conclude the existence, or lack of, a wild cat in the area.
Rumours still persisted and there have been several reports, over the years, of slaughtered livestock. Is this a wild cat’s food source?
While the idea may seem unlikely, until 1976, it was legal to keep a wild cat as a pet. When the law changed, owners had to obtain a license, transfer their animals to a zoo or have them put to sleep. Zoos were soon filled and some animals had to be put to sleep.
In fact, restrictions were only introduced in 1981, making it illegal to release a wild cat into the English countryside. Could an owner not re-home their beloved animal and be unwilling to end its life, instead giving it a shot of survival on the Cornish moors?
In other areas of the country, there are local legends and rumours of released large cats.
It has been rumoured that Mary Chipperfield released three pumas from her Plymouth zoo in 1978. Plymouth is only around 50km/32 miles from the moorlands. If so, are these the mysterious beasts or was the rumour the source of the tail (pun intended!)? The date appears to match the sightings!
However, scientists have disputed that big cats could be released in such numbers to sustain a colony, survive the weather and limited food sources.
In 1995, a school boy found a big cat skull on the banks of the local river. For believers, this was finally tangible evidence of wild cats in the area. However, subsequent testing showed that the skull was actually part of an imported leopard print rug!
If it would not be sustainable for a cat to survive in the area, is the beast a phantom or the product of playful imaginations?
Of the over 60 alleged sightings, some have claimed that the beast made inhuman sounds, including those like a person screaming. British folklore often refers to a haunting black dog, stalking the country for hundreds of years.
So is the beast really a wildcat, a phantom, a figment of the imagination or a piece of British folklore?
Links:
More info on Bodmin Moor - www.cornwalls.co.uk/bodmin/bodmin_moor.htm
The Jamaica Inn - www.jamaicainn.co.uk
Big cat release - www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/21/beast-of-bodmin-mystery-solved-as-dartmoor-zoo-released-pumas-in/
Wild cat laws in the U.K. - www.ukbigcats.co.uk/history.php
The Beast - www.cornwalls.co.uk/myths-legends/beast_of_bodmin.htm and owlcation.com/humanities/Alien-Big-Cats-The-Beast-of-Bodmin-Moor-and-the-Beast-of-Buchan
2020 sighting - www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/big-black-cat-sighting-sparks-3808263.amp
Black dog - www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore/phantom-black-dogs/
