THE FABLED Beast of Bodmin is a legend that has terrified children, and more than a few adults, for decades. A large phantom wild cat, wandering the moor, feasting on the livestock of local farmers and the imaginations of a nation. A steady flow of beast sightings have been poured in to the public's consciousness. Tales of close encounters with a big panther-like cat, mutilated farm animals and the occasional blurry photograph bringing debate, curiosity and, more often than not, mockery. But a recent find in the dusty recesses of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery may have just put the mockers on the mockers. The discovery of a stuffed Canadian lynx, shot dead in 1903 after it had killed two dogs, has led scientists to announce that a 'big cat' was on the loose in England's countryside over a century ago. The animal in question had rested in the depths of the museum for decades having been donated upon its death. After carrying out tests on the skin and preserved bones of the animal, a team of researchers from Durham, Bristol, Southampton and Aberystwyth universities, believe the lynx is the earliest example of an 'alien big cat' in the British Isles.
