The legend of the elusive ‘Beast of Cumbria’ has captivated local imaginations for decades, with some residents even speculating that this mysterious big cat has paranormal origins. However, the true cause of these sightings may be more rooted in history, particularly in the changing regulations around exotic pet ownership.
In the 1960s, owning big cats was a fashionable trend, with such animals even being sold at Harrods. But in 1976, the introduction of an expensive license for keeping exotic pets is believed to have led many owners to release these animals into the wild. Today, the descendants of these once-domestic big cats might be the source of ongoing sightings, supported by DNA evidence discovered in the Cumbrian countryside earlier this year.
Cumbrian big cat investigator Sharon Larkin-Snowden collected a DNA sample from a sheep carcass last year, which was later confirmed by Warwick University to contain panthera DNA. This discovery has fueled interest in the mysterious big cats allegedly roaming the region. Here’s a look at five notable sightings captured on camera:
1. Dalton, 2008
In 2008, a woman from Burton-in-Kendal photographed what she described as a 22-inch black cat. The image was taken by 86-year-old writer and local historian Kath Hayhurst while traveling with her husband near Plain Quarry. The creature, found dead on the roadside, had features more akin to a domestic cat, albeit significantly larger.
2. Walney, 2018
A couple visiting South Walney Nature Reserve in 2018 reported spotting what they believed to be a large wild cat near the coastline. Lesley Stenhouse and her partner Gary Sweetman, who were on a short break in South Cumbria, described the animal as “a fairly big black thing” that disappeared into a sand dune. The nature reserve later dismissed the sighting, attributing it to a “fat and fluffy feral cat.”
3. Dalton, 2019
In 2019, a large cat was filmed by dog-walkers near Dalton Bypass. The footage was reviewed by David Armitage, animal manager at South Lakes Safari Zoo, who suggested it might be a domestic animal, but warned that further sightings could indicate something more serious.
4. Kendal, 2020
In 2020, a possible caracal—or as some claimed, a ‘wild puma’—was spotted near Kendal. The exact location remains unknown, but the sighting matched recent reports of large cats in the Southern Lake District, including one in Bowness-on-Windermere. The observer reported seeing the animal eating a pigeon after stopping to retrieve something from her van.
5. Coniston, 2024
Most recently, in January 2024, Lewis Dailly from Wolverhampton captured footage of a mysterious ‘lynx-like’ creature while on holiday in Coniston. Describing the animal as larger than a domestic cat, Dailly filmed it as it prowled through the countryside before disappearing into the bushes. Many who viewed the footage speculated it could be a lynx, or even a Eurasian Lynx, a species thought to have died out 1,400 years ago.
These sightings continue to intrigue and puzzle both locals and experts alike, keeping the legend of the ‘Beast of Cumbria’ very much alive.
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