ABCs and the Government
Posted by: Nick Redfern on April 6th, 2012
When it comes to British-based cryptozoological entities, beyond much shadow of doubt, Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster is surely the one mysterious creature more than any other that springs to mind. Then, of course, there are the somewhat lesser-known lake-monsters, including Morag of Loch Morar, which just happens to be the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles. And let’s not forget the nation’s Bigfoot-style entities, such as the Man-Monkey, the Beast of Bolam, and the Shug-Monkey.
But, there is another creature of the cryptozoological variety that is seen just about here, there and everywhere in Britain. It is, if you have not guessed, the ABC: the Alien Big Cat.
Granted, the ABCs of the British Isles are out-of-place animals rather than strictly unknown animals, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming a thriving, undeniable and justified part of British-based Cryptozoology.
And although a great deal of dedicated research and on-site investigative work has been undertaken in this field – and for decades, no less – there is one aspect of the mystery that often gets overlooked. And, you may ask, what might that be? Well, I’ll tell you! It’s the issue of what the British Government – or, at least, elements deep within it – may know about the ABCs.
For years, rumors have circulated to the effect that certain agencies of government and the military have secretly known that large and exotic cats are roaming the wilds of Britain – and the not so wild parts, too! And, that to prevent public panic, they have hidden the hard evidence from one and all – evidence that includes bodies of such creatures either found dead or shot and killed by Army snipers.
True or not, when one goes looking for such data, rumors and stories, one most certainly does not come up empty-handed. And, I’m pleased to say that a good friend of mine in England’s Fortean field, Kithra, has prepared a most thought-provoking post on this very issue of “ABCs and the Government.” It’s a post that you can find right here, and which provides a great deal of information and leads that, just perhaps, may point towards some form of cover-up of the cryptozoological/ABC variety.
About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
It amazes me what used to lurk in Great Britain: up until the Middle Ages Brown bears were found there. Wolves also lived there, and were likewise hunted to extinction. Only recently has Moose been reintroduced in Scotland, and I believe even Mammoths lived in Great Britain in the remote past. The Heidelberg humans were among, if not the very first, humans to live there.
Nowadays, Aside from possible ABCs, the largest carnivores you’ll find in British wilds are Badgers, Foxes, tiny wildcats and feral dogs. What a sad commentary on humanity’s intolerance for creatures God intended to be here with us…
Also sad that this type of overhunting history has occurred worldwide. In the US wolves have been taken off the protection list, and so far we have had hundreds, perhaps more, wolves being killed, often in gruesome, barbaric ways. Rhinos in Africa are being poached on a growing scale.
I have seen what I believe to be a big cat twice in the UK – once in West Sussex in 1994 and once in Staffordshire in 2008 – so there is no question in my mind the animals are out there, but to be honest, I don’t believe the British government is organised enough or competent enough to pull off any kind of conspiracy like this. Having dealt with DEFRA myself – on unrelated issues – I have no trouble believing lab samples went missing through genuine human and/or beaurocratic failings rather than being deliberately spirited away. I think the relevant government agencies are in the same boat as the rest of us in terms of the evidence being persuasive but not 100% conclusive. Even the physical evidence that does exist – bodies, hair samples, prints – doesn’t necessarily prove the existence of an established, breeding population rather than isolated escapees. It may feel frustratingly obtuse, but I think it’s natural DEFRA would use cautious language in these circumstances, and I don’t think that necessarily points to a conspiracy. If anything, if they were trying to cover something up, I’d expect more debunking and more vehement denial than I see in the communications linked here.
I remember an article (I think it was in a National Geographic Magazine) dealing with Invasive species, and it mentioned that terrorists might choose to release a non-native species into the US as an act of Terrorism (giving the term Bio-warfare a whole new meaning). Britain is no stranger to terrorism…
How can we prove that ABCs are indeed roaming Great Britain? It would be hard: private gun ownership is illegal (Most of the time Policemen I’ve heard don’t carry them. They probably prefer those huge hats as bludgeoning weapons), so in order to get just one specimen, you would have to tranq or trap it. But remember, we have to prove a population of one, perhaps several known yet alien species, not a new species (Unless one argues that these are an unknown species of big cat roaming Britain, in which case a body, major parts of one, or a corpse will do. Maybe a car will eventually hit one, and if so, we should know whether it is an invasive or a new species.) If invasive, Perhaps tranq one, put a camera collar on it, let it go, and see what it comes across. Or perhaps tranquilize many and put tracking systems on them, until you get enough to make the UK government cry UNCLE! UNCLE!, and there you go. Either approach should be augmented by film of the creatures.
I have seen one. It looked like a large black leopard or jaguar.
No mistaking the big black cat. Could tell from the body structure that it was not a feral cat.
It was walking along the border of a field. I was travelling in a car on the motorway so i had no time to stop and see it for longer.
This sighting occured in 2006 near Reading, Berkshire, England.
I sent an email to the authorities but received no response.
Hapa,
Private gun ownership is not illegal in Britain. Hand guns are illegal privately as are semi automatics.
However, shotguns and rifles are allowed to be kept legally in private but the checks and laws are more stringent in Britain.
There are some 2 million shotguns/rifles legally kept privately in Britain. It mostly rural folks who own shotguns and rifles.
The fact is, most people in Britain have no interest in owning a gun and thankfully as a result there are on average only about 50 gun related deaths per year.
But out in the country (where these big cats are mostly sighted) a fair number of folks do have guns.
Kopite:
Thanks for the info. I had thought there was a total ban on gun ownership in Britain. This is encouraging, but as I said before, unless this is a new species we will have to have proof of a breeding population (if these are truly invasives), thus one individual specimen won’t do. Tracking devices and cameras put on several ones that are tranquilized first should be helpful in doing that.
If this is a new species (I’m skeptical about that), then just one specimen will do, either tranquilized captured or shot, but I would hate to risk shooting an exotic endangered Big cat: in this case, to prove a new species, tranquilizing or capturing a type specimen should be preferred.