RAF Hunts The Beast Of Bodmin.
Tales of sightings of themysterious and elusive Beast of Bodmin Moor have been the talk of Cornwall for as long as anyone can remember. Locals are convinced a secretive creature the size of a man roams the bleak and desolate stretch of countryside, even though the experts refuse to be convinced.
Yesterday, a crack squadron of RAF pilots and technicians was planning to use the latest in military hardware to prove whether the scores of sightings are based on myth or reality.
Reports have emerged from the base at St Mawgan, close to Bodmin, of a big cat fitting the description of the beast patrolling the airfield in the dead of night. The development is the latest in a long history of sightings that stretch back to 1983, of a nocturnal animal with black fur and powerful body.
Farmers point to the disappearance of sheep, and strange, unexplained attacks on their flocks at night, as evidence of the creature's existence.
Teams of scientists from the Natural History Museum and even Government zoologists have all tried, and failed, to track down the panther-like cat.
But thanks to the latest night vision equipment used at the airfield, three servicemen are convinced they have seen the mythical creature prowling late at night.
All three men, who have not been named, claimed to have spotted the Beast while using specialist night-time vision goggles on operations and training exercises.
The airmen and staff at St Mawgan are now determined to catch the animal on film and have even set up a series of hi-tech cameras to snare the beast.
The equipment has been fitted with a laser which can be triggered by the slightest movement. And highly sensitive film is being used to try to snap the elusive cat.
Group Captain Jim Goodbourn, the air base's Commanding Officer, gave his personal blessing for specialist monitoring and detection equipment to be installed around the area where the latest sightings took place.
Squadron Leader Dave Webster, a spokesman for the base, confirmed the hi-tech hunt will take place in the coming weeks.
Sq Ldr Webster said: "Should the creature prove to be a frequent visitor to the Cornish air-base, the RAF and zoological experts will make every possible attempt to ensure it is captured humanely, so it can be examined by the appropriate zoological experts."
The three eye witnesses on the base all described the cat as being between five and six feet long, completely black, with a head similar to that of a puma or panther.
"One described seeing a fox in the same field, and claimed the cat was five times the length of the fox," Sq Ldr Webster said.
He added: "We need to maintain the integrity of the sighting area so the zoologists can ascertain whether the creature was in transit or if it is has become a more frequent visitor on the base. We will not be making any comment on where the sightings took place to preserve the evidence."
The zoological specialists have already arrived at the site and are keen to get on with the hunt as soon as possible. Their first job will be to determine how often the beast has visited RAF StMawgan and if there is a pattern in its behaviour.
Sq Ldr Webster has warned off amateur big cat hunters. He said: "This is an active military installation that is regularly patrolled and guarded. In the present security climate it would be extremely unwise for anyone to attempt to venture on to the base."
Mike Thomas, a former director of Newquay Zoo and a recognised expert on big cats, hailed the sightings as an exciting development. He is convinced that the Beast of Bodmin exists and believes it is a species of cat which is thought to have become extinct in Britain more than a century ago.
He added: "The RAF have acknowledged the need to investigate this phenomenon in a totally scientific manner. This is a very exciting development."
A similar experiment on the base five years ago ended with no conclusive proof, but discovery of a skull complete with fangs in the nearby River Fowey has been used as evidence of the existence of the cat by the converted.
Taunton Times: 7th April 2004
Do you have any information on the above news item. Were you the person involved, or are you aware of any more sightings in this area. We would appreciate any information that you could give us.