by JAYA NARAIN, Daily Mail
08:49am 6th May 2005
Mystery: The beast was supposedly sighted at Green Drive in Lytham
Some say it looks like the Hound of the Baskervilles, others mention the cartoon character Wile E. Coyote.
But this, apparently, is the beast that has brought terror to an upmarket town and caused anxious residents to look over their shoulders at night.
Cynics claim it is the product of fertile imaginations - or one or two gin and tonics too many.
But more than 20 sightings have been reported in the last few weeks, leading to a local illustrator compiling an artist's impression.
Amateur photographers, meanwhile, have been descending on the area in the hope of getting a shot.
Roaming thick woodland
Dubbed The Beast of Green Drive, the mysterious creature has been spotted roaming in thick woodland at a beauty spot.
About as tall as a collie dog but with huge ears, a large mouth and a lolloping gait, the peculiar animal has caused a frenzy of chatter in the normally sedate Lytham St Anne's, Lancashire.
The creature, according to witnesses, is seen mainly in the largely wooded area of Green Drive, where there is plenty of brush and scrub to conceal a large animal.
Sandra Sturrock, who was walking her dog when she came faceto-face with the beast, said: "I caught sight of something large ahead of us. It was like a large collie, light in colour with large sticking-up ears.
"It was watching me and my dog. I stood completely still for several minutes trying to see it more closely. I called my dog and put him on the lead and slowly inched towards the animal to get a better look but it ran off. I then went to where it had been and my dog went mad, sniffing all round the area."
She added: "I have never seen anything like this before.
"I lived in Cheshire for ten years and frequently saw foxes and the odd deer.
"They usually disappear quite quickly and do not remain watching you.'
Huge ears and a large mouth
Willie Davidson, 59, a painter and decorator, said: "I was playing bowls near Green Drive when I heard a snarl behind me. It was like a monster out of Doctor Who and it needs tracking down."
Another woman, who did want to be named, said: 'I was walking along the drive when I saw it in the fields alongside.
"I have no idea what it was. I could tell it was the size of a labrador, but looked more like a hare. It can't have been either - it was surreal."
One theory is that it could be a muntjac deer, one of the last remaining from a herd brought to Lytham Hall by the local squire over a century ago.
Illustrator Sam Shearon came up with his drawing after speaking to several witnesses.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'We have checked local zoos and farms, but nothing seems to be missing. It is very bizarre.
"We have handed it over to the RSPCA to investigate."
Apparent sightings of animals not native to the UK have been on the increase in recent years.
Panthers are occasionally reported, with police marksmen called in last year after a farmer said he saw a large black cat on his land in Anglesey, North Wales.
At RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, three members of staff spotted a large black cat - similar to a puma or panther - through their nightvision lenses.
Also in Cornwall, the infamous Beast of Bodmin is still believed to be roaming farmland killing sheep and lambs.
Experts at Chester Zoo were baffled after being shown the drawing of the The Beast of Green Drive.
A spokesman said last night: "It does not look like any mammal currently alive. It looks more like a mythical beast to us."
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