Beast of Bodmin Moor
A large black cat of the Cornish moors.
- Region
- Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, England
- Documented sightings
- 3 on map →
Overview
The Beast of Bodmin Moor is a large black felid reported from Bodmin Moor in Cornwall since the 1970s. Sustained press coverage began with farmer Eric Ley's 1983 livestock losses, and the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food conducted an official investigation in 1995 that found "no verifiable evidence" but did not rule the phenomenon out.
Identification
Reported as a black cat-like creature approximately 1.5 meters in body length excluding tail — substantially larger than any domestic or feral cat. Livestock kills attributed to the creature show clean throat injuries with minimal scatter and an absence of blood at the scene, consistent with large feline predation patterns.
Lore & Origin
The British Big Cats Society and successor organizations have catalogued thousands of large-felid sightings across the UK since the 1970s, with Bodmin Moor and Exmoor as the two leading hotspots. Off-duty police Sergeant Tony White and PC Andy Styles's 1995 sighting on a Bodmin Moor road remains among the most credible direct visual reports.