THE Beast of Exmoor is the subject of a factional' book by West Country journalist Trevor Beer.
Trevor, who writes a regular Nature Watch column in the Western Morning News, was awarded the MBE in 2002 for his devotion to exploring the natural history of North Devon, working tirelessly for the conservation and protection of the flora and fauna of the region.
After the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976, it is believed a number of animals were released into the British countryside, including the black leopard the subject of the book. Trevor has followed and documented many reported sightings and the account of this story is told in Merlin'.
Legends of the Beast of Exmoor have grown since the 80s, with media hype centred on the large numbers of sheep killed, allegedly by big cats of the puma and leopard type.
He says reports suggested 80 sheep were killed in 90 days and that animals of huge cunning and ferocity were roaming the countryside, some said to be as big as large calves, or Alsation dogs, and sightings were made all over the moor and further apart.
The author decided to redress the over-reaction of the media and also bring public attention and a clearer view of the truth behind the headlines.
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He says tales of the Exmoor beast gradually spread to Dartmoor and Bodmin and people from all over the country reported sightings, plus many hoaxes. He thinks reports of the size of the beast can be distorted, exaggerated by over enthusiasm and the average person's ability to gauge the size of a moving, distant animal. Often they are sightings in darkness or in the glare of car headlamps on country roads when shadows cast tend to add to an animal's real size.
But he says that since 1983 "I have seen black leopards and pumas at a number of locations: including cats with cubs. Some cats have been shot dead and the facts kept quiet.
"The cats exist and are living in the wilds of the West Country, and elsewhere including Ireland and France," says the author.
"My own interest lies mainly with black cats. I have seen them singly and with cubs and invariably they do their best, naturally, to avoid humans. It is my opinion they rarely if ever kill sheep.
"They live mainly on small mammals up to rabbit size but will take roe and red deer, pheasants, gulls and other creatures. They, like us, have to eat."
He wrote Merlin based on numerous actual sightings, adding them into a "melting pot of real and likely scenarios to emerge as one cat and his life in the wild as a release."
It's a great tale and, despite what you believe now, this could change your minds. All the locations given in the book are correct and the author adds a rider: "Remember, these cats are not out and about seeking to harm humans. If you see one, enjoy the moment, leave it alone, don't set your dog on it or corner it .. and don't shoot it."
Merlin, The Story of a Westcountry Leopard', by Trevor Beer, published by Ryelands, £12.99.
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