The Beast of Exmoor

The Beast of Exmoor is a phantom big cat reported from the moorlands of Devon and Somerset in southwest England. Since the 1970s, witnesses have described a large black cat killing sheep and roaming the countryside. The case became serious enough for the Royal Marines to mount a hunt in 1983.

The Sightings

Witnesses describe a large, panther-like cat approximately four to five feet long, with a powerful build and dark coloring. Unlike the Beast of Bodmin Moor to the southwest, the Exmoor beast is more consistently described as solid black.

The creature is typically seen at dawn or dusk, moving across open moorland or lurking near farms. It is described as capable of killing adult sheep with apparent ease.

The Sheep Killings

Farmers in the Exmoor region have reported livestock killed in ways suggesting a large predator. Sheep found with their throats torn out, with portions of flesh cleanly removed, match the killing patterns of big cats rather than dogs or foxes.

The economic impact on farmers led to official attention.

The Royal Marine Hunt

In 1983, the Ministry of Agriculture commissioned the Royal Marines to hunt the beast. For six weeks, armed Marines patrolled Exmoor with night-vision equipment.

The Marines had possible sightings but never obtained clear confirmation. The operation ended inconclusively, and livestock killings continued.

Possible Explanations

The most common theory involves big cats released after the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 made exotic pets more difficult to keep legally. Panthers or leopards released in the 1970s could conceivably have survived and bred in the British countryside.

Skeptics suggest large domestic cats, dogs, or misidentification explain the sightings.

Assessment

The Beast of Exmoor represents a British mystery cat case significant enough to warrant military intervention. Whether escaped exotic pets established a population, or something else prowls the moors, farmers continue to lose livestock to whatever hunts in the darkness.