Bodmin Moor 2019 - the scream we heard

Posting this now because I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I'd appreciate some perspective from actual paranormal people rather than just my mates who think I'm mad.

August 2019, my partner and I were camping on Bodmin Moor near Dozmare Pool. Lovely spot, walking around during golden hour, everything very normal and beautiful. We were doing a bit of amateur nature photography - moths, wildflowers, landscape shots.

Around 9:15 PM, just as light was fading, we heard this scream. Not a human scream exactly - that's the problem. Too long, too sustained, almost metallic quality to it. My first thought was a fox or maybe a rabbit in distress. But it kept going, maybe fifteen seconds, and it didn't sound like any animal I've ever heard.

Bodmin's famous for the Beast, obviously - the big cat sightings from the 1990s. Which is probably why my brain immediately went "oh god, what is that?" But I'm aware I might've been primed by the location's reputation.

We walked toward the sound (stupid, in hindsight) and found absolutely nothing. No tracks, no disturbance, nothing. The sound stopped immediately when we got close. We went back to camp and neither of us slept much that night.

Rationalisation: cryptid, misidentified animal, wind through rock formations. But I'd love to hear if anyone else has had something similar.

Bodmin Moor has genuine history - nothing to do with the Beast, which was probably just excitement and misidentification, but actual Cornish folklore. There's accounts of things on those moors that predate modern cryptozoology by centuries. Your experience sounds consistent with some of the older stories.

The metallic quality is interesting and not typical of any known British fauna. Did you notice any other sensations? Temperature changes, electromagnetic oddness, sense of being watched? Those often accompany genuine unexplained incidents.

Vixens in the mating season produce absolutely horrifying sounds - I've heard them twice and both times I genuinely thought something was being murdered. The sustained, almost alien quality is exactly what they do. Look up "fox mating screams" on YouTube and I reckon you'll get your answer. Moor foxes might sound different from urban ones due to acoustics and territory.

The metallic quality is interesting and not typical of any known British fauna.

Actually though, plenty of wild creatures produce metallic sounds - certain insects, unusual bird calls, even wind and rock interaction can create weird acoustic effects. Moors are especially good at creating disorienting soundscapes. The fact you found nothing doesn't necessarily mean it was paranormal - just that whatever made the sound was shy or mobile.

I've had similar experiences in the Scottish Highlands. There's something about remote moorland that makes your nervous system absolutely hyperaware. You're out of your normal environment, it's getting dark, your senses are on edge - and then you hear something anomalous and your brain fills in the gaps with fear. Doesn't make it less real as an experience, but context matters.