The Beast of Bodmin Moor

Since the 1970s, residents of Cornwall in southwest England have reported sightings of a large black cat roaming Bodmin Moor. The “Beast of Bodmin” has been blamed for livestock killings, photographed repeatedly, and investigated by official government inquiry—yet has never been caught or definitively identified.

The Sightings

Witnesses describe a large cat, typically black, roughly the size of a panther or puma. It is most often seen in the remote areas of Bodmin Moor but has been reported throughout Cornwall and neighboring Devon.

Sightings have included multiple witnesses, daytime encounters, and observations lasting several minutes—not the brief glimpses that might explain misidentification.

Livestock Attacks

Farmers have reported livestock killed in ways that suggest a large predator. Sheep have been found with injuries inconsistent with dog attacks—the usual culprit in livestock killings. The pattern of wounds sometimes suggests a big cat’s killing method.

However, no attack has been directly observed, and some veterinarians have disputed the interpretation of the evidence.

Government Investigation

In 1995, the British government launched an official investigation into the Beast of Bodmin. The report concluded that there was “no verifiable evidence” of big cats on the moor.

However, the investigation also noted that the evidence did not disprove their existence and acknowledged that some livestock deaths remained unexplained. A piece of evidence found shortly after the report—a skull apparently from a leopard—was later determined to be from a leopard-skin rug, not a living animal.

Possible Explanations

The most common theory involves big cats released into the wild when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 made keeping exotic pets more difficult and expensive. Panthers, pumas, or other big cats might have been released by owners who could no longer legally keep them.

Such animals, if released young, could potentially survive and reproduce in the British countryside. Big cats are adaptable, and Bodmin Moor provides adequate prey in the form of livestock and wild game.

Alternative explanations include misidentified large domestic or feral cats, dogs, or even large mustelids such as otters or pine martens.

Assessment

The Beast of Bodmin represents one of Britain’s most persistent cryptid cases. Sightings continue to be reported. Livestock deaths continue to suggest something hunting on the moors. Yet despite photographs, video, and extensive searches, no big cat has been caught or killed.

Whether escaped exotic pets established a breeding population, whether misidentification explains the reports, or whether something stranger roams Bodmin Moor, the Beast remains Cornwall’s most famous mystery.