Bodmin Moor big cat sighting – October 2024 update

I know the Bodmin Moor 'Beast' has been a thing for decades (the original reports go back to the 70s, don't they?) but I wanted to document a sighting from last month that I haven't posted about yet.

I was hiking on the moor near Rough Tor with my dad on October 18th around 4 PM. Clear afternoon, decent visibility. We both saw what appeared to be a very large cat - black or very dark brown - moving through the bracken about 200 metres away, heading towards the valley.

Details: Body length probably 5-6 feet not including tail. Definitely feline. Moved with a strange, low gait like it was stalking something. The tail was distinctive - long, thick, held low. Neither of us had seen anything like it before. My dad thought it might be a panther or large dog at first, but the movement pattern was unmistakably cat-like.

By the time we raised our cameras/mobiles it had disappeared into the valley. No photos. I know how that sounds.

The local farmers' group I'm in has heard similar descriptions over the years. Is anyone tracking these sightings systematically?

The Bodmin Beast sightings have been documented extensively by researchers like Jonathan Downes at the Centre for Fortean Zoology. There's definitely a pattern of credible reports over several decades. Whether it's an actual breeding population of escaped exotic cats or something else entirely is the question.

This could easily be a large dog with an unusual gait, or even a misidentified wildcat. The UK does have feral populations of wildcats in Scotland especially. A dark-coloured wildcat at distance could definitely look larger and more exotic than it actually is.

Moved with a strange, low gait like it was stalking something.

That's actually a really specific observation and differs from the typical 'big dog' misidentification. Domestic animals move differently. If both you and your dad independently registered this as unusual movement, that's credible data. Would be worth submitting to CFZ.

There's been a genuine uptick in big cat reports across the UK in the last five years. Could be actual animals, could be increased camera usage making sightings more likely to be reported. The fact that multiple independent reports share specific characteristics (the low stalking gait you mention, the tail position) suggests either a real phenomenon or a very consistent misidentification pattern.

October 18th - that's interesting timing. There's a correlation between autumn predator activity and big cat sightings. If there are genuinely feral exotic cats on Bodmin, they'd be moving more in autumn as they prepare for winter. Worth tracking seasonal patterns.