QUOTE
FARMERS ARE LEFT SHOCKED AS MYSTERY BEAST STRIKES
Is this the picture that finally proves a lethal big cat is roaming the West? The photograph shows a young calf found savagely killed in a North Somerset field, apparently mauled to death by a massive beast.
The attack follows a series of sightings, and adds weight to the legend that a furtive and cold-blooded killer is stalking the dark woods and shadowy hedgerows.
Farmer and scrap metal merchant Mark Penfold told yesterday how he made the grisly discovery on his land at Hewish, near Weston-super-Mare.
The 38-year-old said he has never seen an animal devoured so thoroughly in such a short time and believes he may have seen the cold eyes of its killer.
While out on a night-time lamping expedition for rabbits, his light shone on to a glinting pair of lenses he could not recognise, despite his years in the countryside.
"What I saw down the end of the lamp that night was something else," he said.
"I have seen deer, badgers, rabbits, hares - I know what animals are out there - but not this." He was shocked by the slaughter of his calf, which was one of about 60 cattle that he keeps.
"I have seen dead cows a lot of times, but never a whole calf gone in one night," he said.
Another twist in the tale is his discovery of a large footprint, on a different scale to that of his large dog, a bull mastiff-American pit bull cross.
"His footprint doesn't come anywhere near it," he said. Five other friends also saw the curious mark.
On a different night he found a neighbour's flock of sheep huddled in one corner of a field and apparently terrified in a way he had not seen before.
Despite the eerie goings-on, he has not introduced any extra security in his farming though he keeps his dog close while on his rounds.
He is not sure either way as to whether there is a Beast of Bodmin Moor-style predator on the prowl in the open countryside of Dolemoor, near where he lives. As he says, he hasn't actually seen the animal except for perhaps its eyes, but believes there is something in the stories about big black cats.
"They are definitely out there," added Mr Penfold, who lives in nearby Box Bush. "But until you have actually seen one you don't believe it - it is like UFOs." A sighting of a black cat has also been reported at Lower Weare, near Axbridge, not a great distance away.
The West is one of the UK's hotspots for big cat sightings and stories. A year ago it seemed as though the legendary Beast of Bodmin might finally be found, after three servicemen at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall claimed to have seen it with night vision goggles.
But, despite the best efforts of a dedicated big cat tracker, the animal once again slipped through the fingers of its pursuers.
Is this the picture that finally proves a lethal big cat is roaming the West? The photograph shows a young calf found savagely killed in a North Somerset field, apparently mauled to death by a massive beast.
The attack follows a series of sightings, and adds weight to the legend that a furtive and cold-blooded killer is stalking the dark woods and shadowy hedgerows.
Farmer and scrap metal merchant Mark Penfold told yesterday how he made the grisly discovery on his land at Hewish, near Weston-super-Mare.
The 38-year-old said he has never seen an animal devoured so thoroughly in such a short time and believes he may have seen the cold eyes of its killer.
While out on a night-time lamping expedition for rabbits, his light shone on to a glinting pair of lenses he could not recognise, despite his years in the countryside.
"What I saw down the end of the lamp that night was something else," he said.
"I have seen deer, badgers, rabbits, hares - I know what animals are out there - but not this." He was shocked by the slaughter of his calf, which was one of about 60 cattle that he keeps.
"I have seen dead cows a lot of times, but never a whole calf gone in one night," he said.
Another twist in the tale is his discovery of a large footprint, on a different scale to that of his large dog, a bull mastiff-American pit bull cross.
"His footprint doesn't come anywhere near it," he said. Five other friends also saw the curious mark.
On a different night he found a neighbour's flock of sheep huddled in one corner of a field and apparently terrified in a way he had not seen before.
Despite the eerie goings-on, he has not introduced any extra security in his farming though he keeps his dog close while on his rounds.
He is not sure either way as to whether there is a Beast of Bodmin Moor-style predator on the prowl in the open countryside of Dolemoor, near where he lives. As he says, he hasn't actually seen the animal except for perhaps its eyes, but believes there is something in the stories about big black cats.
"They are definitely out there," added Mr Penfold, who lives in nearby Box Bush. "But until you have actually seen one you don't believe it - it is like UFOs." A sighting of a black cat has also been reported at Lower Weare, near Axbridge, not a great distance away.
The West is one of the UK's hotspots for big cat sightings and stories. A year ago it seemed as though the legendary Beast of Bodmin might finally be found, after three servicemen at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall claimed to have seen it with night vision goggles.
But, despite the best efforts of a dedicated big cat tracker, the animal once again slipped through the fingers of its pursuers.
http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp...tentPK=12354493
no picture seems to be included...
