New Beast of Bexley Encounter
Posted by: Loren Coleman on March 21st, 2007
The Richmond & Twickenham Times of Surrey, England is reporting there has been a new sighting of the big black panther of the area. Called the “Beast of Bexley,” the accounts of this panther have now spanned almost 20 years.
Here’s an extract about the latest encounter:
Beast of Bexley may have been spotted again reportedly scaring a paddock full of horses. Neil Arnold, founder of the Kent Big Cat Research Group, said a black creature was seen around two weeks ago in Cold Blow Crescent. He thinks the animal could have been a black leopard.
An eyewitness saw all the horses in a field behind his house appearing spooked and bunching together. He then claims a big, black cat with an overly long tail appeared in the field, stopped, then turned around and walked back towards trees and bushes. The Richmond & Twickenham Times, March 19, 2007
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Have had two sightings myself, fascinating stuff. Before we get the people saying this is nothing special please remember that in the uk, it is, these are not native and completely new to us.
I’ve never been to England but I am well aware of how special these are over there, UK cryptid. I agree that it is fascinating stuff. I am very interested in what is going on with these types of big cat sightings in England.
These sightings have been going on for decades. I agree, very interesting.
“Cold Blow Crescent.”
I LOVE THE ENGLISH!
Now who’s dropping off these big cats?
On another crypto site that shall remain nameless ;), people that live with these creatures tend to take it for granted. I only wish i had my trusty camera for my encounters. One day maybe 🙂 I live quite close to these current sightings actually so hopefully my time shall come again, will keep my camera with me in my little journeys and cryptomundo will be the first to see anything i get 😉
They keep on popping up, there’s even been some CCTV footage of late but no-one can explain them yet. One link with USA sightings is that there seem to be a lot of black cats about.
For the non-Brits who want to find out more about Big Cats in our fair isles Merrily Harpur’s ‘Mystery Cats‘ is well worth a read. A good history of sightings and a conclusion that covers released cats and theories that silvereagle will enjoy – I did as well I might add.
UKCryptid – Merrily Harpur is looking for more sightings if you’re interested, although I guess you’ll have read the book.
I disagree that these cat populations are “new to us”. Sightings date back centuries and not decades, but cases were not as documented as to the extent they are today or the last thirty years. In the UK the Surrey puma sightings kicked off the flaps across county, but Romans imported thousands of cats, traveling menageries spilled many exotics into the wilds, so the influx of the last thirty years is certainly not responsible for all of today’s populations.
These cats are not the product of escapees or released pets, these suggestions are merely a small part of the solution, and one thing these animals are not and that’s ‘demons’, or ghosts or prehistoric cats.
Why this situation is even considered a mystery is beyond me. 17 years of research has proven that these populations have been here far longer than we realise and gradually added to over time.
I’ve been fortunate enough to film lynx, and leopard in the UK wilds and it’s a complete honour to monitor them, unfortunately it is unlikely that these felids will be accepted officially as a species within the UK.
Also, the only ‘big cat’ out there is the melanistic leopard. The puma is the largest of the Lesser cats.
Neil UK Folklore- Interesting info! Thanks for posting.