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Beast of Sedgemoor returns with mate?

9:39pm Thursday 23rd August 2007

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HAS the Beast of Sedgemoor somehow managed to find a mate and given birth to a litter of two?

That is the question being asked this week after builders at a Nether Stowey construction site spotted two big cats prowling the nearby fields.

Previous sightings of the beast have worked on the assumption that there was only one creature, but this latest development appears to turn that theory on its head with the revelation TWO could be roaming the countryside.

Projects Director Duncan Attwell had been working on the Merlin Timber Frame seven eco homes on Tuesday when he caught sight of the animals in a field just off South Lane.

"There were two black cats, but both about the size of a small sheep or a dog," he said.

"I went up there and there were some kittens, but much bigger.

"I was fascinated when I saw it."

Mr Attwell managed to get his camera to take a picture of the animal and the image shows a big cat shape in the field.

Previously the beast has been likened in size to that of a panther and he confirmed it looked similar to the creature.

"I saw two adults and what I believe were two little ones," he said.

"It did look like a big cat and I have seen panthers before.

"It definitely was not a domestic cat."

The last time the beast was in the news was when a giant print with enormous claws was found in Andersea at the end of April this year.

Two months previous a Bridgwater man said he actually saw a cat-like creature stalking the Quantocks early in the morning when he had been out with his friend.

Have YOU ever seen the Beast of Sedgemoor? Join the debate by visiting the Mercury forum.


Your Say YourBridgwater Mercury

Cynthia Atkins-Forbes, Holford (holiday visit) says...
10:47pm Thu 23 Aug 07

Oh, gosh, I say, how frightfully jolly. One never imagined big **** prowling near one"s holiday hotel, one can only suggest one will think frightfully hard (yes, very long and hard) before one ventures off into the woods or moors. These large felines may be hungry or possibly very ferociously protective of their cubs. Hee-hee, one wouldn"t want to end up as dinner.

Crazy Rob, quantocks says...
10:52pm Thu 23 Aug 07

These creatures will probably avoid humans, unless, god orbid, you were not having a lucky day and the big cats were very hungry.

Vera Cruz, local says...
1:15pm Fri 24 Aug 07

if u is walkin yer dog in the quantocks area and it goes chasing off after some creature, b very wary it ain"t tangling wiv the big puss-cat, your mutt would get torn to shreds, u might too, if u hang around

Tarquin, poole says...
1:19pm Fri 24 Aug 07

An earlier Government act, can"t recall which blinking gov it was even, prompted folk with big cat pets to let them loose, now the frightful beasts are out there, walking free, breeding. Is this another example of Government idiocy, come home to roost?. I don"t blame the present lot in power, this stuff happened a long time before them, though no doubt all govs make their mistakes.

Wynn Bailey, Weston says...
2:52pm Fri 24 Aug 07

This is DEFINITELY the Beast of Sedgemoor - absolutely certain because I once saw lurking in bushes just outside Holford. Why doesn't the Mercury do the decent thing and camp out on the Quantocks overnight and catch this black beast ?

Maynard Crosby, Bristol says...
10:24pm Fri 24 Aug 07

This tale of large carnivorous beasts lurking reminds me of the story of Little Red Riding Hood, a pretty little maiden innocently chattering to a hungry wolf intent on gobbling her. Make no mistake, these large feline creatures could gobble ANYONE up andyou couldn"t run away because they run several times quicker than you.

Jane, local says...
12:32pm Sat 25 Aug 07

If these creatures breed, and then inter-breed, eg, incest, will the offspring, if any, be mentally retarded animals?

Miss Information, bridgwater says...
12:35pm Sat 25 Aug 07

re last comment, if we get mentally retarded animals they will be at home in the Bridgwater area with some of our local populace.

Ghost Buster, says...
9:41am Tue 28 Aug 07

Wynn Bailey wrote:
This is DEFINITELY the Beast of Sedgemoor - absolutely certain because I once saw lurking in bushes just outside Holford. Why doesn\'t the Mercury do the decent thing and camp out on the Quantocks overnight and catch this black beast ?
I agree with Wynn. I once woke up with the beast after a night in the Palace. Time to camp out and catch this animal.

Ghost Buster, says...
11:25pm Thu 30 Aug 07

I work with a man who used to sell monkeys before it all became illegal. He once sold some Jaguar cubs. Whenever the wild cats got big they would be let loose. He has eximined the picture here and recognises it as 'Tiger', one of the cubs he sold. If you whistle the Thundercats theme tune he will come over and likes being stroked behind the ears. Come on Mercury, go to that field and hum 'thunder, thunder, thundercats, hooooo'.

Jim Clerkin, says...
3:13pm Fri 31 Aug 07

I once saw the beast in a Bridgwater field with my own eyes. It was about the size of a horse but instead of having claws like most big cats, it had these metal half-crescents at the bottom of hoof-type feet. Also, the creature's face was less cat-like than I expected, with no whiskers but long features and huge teeth. It did have a long tail, but this was very much like a collection of long dark hairs whooshing around. It seemed to have befriended a local who had built up such a level of trust with the monster he was able to feed it some kind of mysterious white cubes he had sourced and could even put a rudimentary seat on its back for it to take him around the field. The local had also named the beast Trigger, but madness had clearly gripped him as he kept talking to the animal saying things like "There, there, you're a good horse" and "What a fine horse you are". I think this deserves some further investigation.

Cat lover, Quantocks says...
3:16pm Fri 31 Aug 07

Ooh Thundercats, Lion-O was always so powerful and comanding. He really did it for me... those big thighs and long flowing red hair. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Had a bit of a thing for Tigra too.

Cathy Perkin, Blandford BH16 6AB says...
9:52pm Tue 22 Jul 08

Whilst staying at Beacon Hill Touring Park on Sat 22nd July 2008 me and my partner saw what looked like a jet black large cat in the woods behind the park. We both saw this and my dog ran down to it and froze on the spot (thank god) and when we ran down the hill it had gone.... This was about 8.30 in the evening.

Dougal Mcguire, Craggy Island says...
11:46am Wed 23 Jul 08

It's got four ears two of them are for listening the other two are kind of back-up ears. Some of its ears are on the inside of its head

It doesn't have any eyebrows at all,except on Saturdays

Instead of a mouth it's got four arses

Many of the locals think it might be a kind of giant fox

It's as big as four cats

It's got a retractable leg so that it can leap up at you better

It lights up at night

Its claws are as big as cups

It's got a tremendous fear of stamps, for some reason

It's got magnets on its tail so if you're made out of metal it can attach itself to you

When it yawns, it sounds like Liam Neeson chasing a load of hens around inside a barrel

It lives and roams on the moors of Somerset, or at least the place where there should be moors

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