Beast of Bevendean
{{Infobox|name=Beast of Bevendean|image=
type=Alien Big Cat|1st Sighting=2008|last sighting=2010|Country=Britain|Specific Area=Brighton and Hove|Population=Small|map=
The Beast of Bevendean is an Alien Big Cats|alien big cat from the Brighton and Hove area of :Category:British cryptids|England reported since 2008.
Description
The Beast of Bevendean is a large :Category:Feline|panther-like animal. Most reports describe it as black<ref name=":0">[https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/2327839.big-cat-dubbed-beast-of-bevendean/ Big cat dubbed Beast of Bevendean - The Argus]</ref> but sandy colored cats have also been sighted.<ref name=":1">[https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/2332382.beast-of-bevendean-strikes-again/ Beast of Bevendean strikes again - The Argus]</ref> It has been reported attacking and frightening dogs from the area. It is also thought to be responsible for an increase in rabbit and pheasant remains found in the area.<ref name=":0" />
Sightings
Sightings of the Beast of Bevendean began in 2008. Residents of the Bevendean area compared sightings at a meeting held at the Holy Nativity Church hall. Many residents reported their dogs being frightened by the beast with one claiming his dog was scratched by it. A resident named Stewart Codall described his sighting as follows: "At first I thought it was another dog due to its size. It was walking between two bushes and it was about three or four times the size of a normal cat."<ref name=":0" />
Resident Bill Batchelor claimed to have seen the beast on three occasions. On one occasion, it had pounced on his pet dog while out walking. Batchelor's report was unique as he described it as being sandy colored with a gray muzzle. Most reports up until this point were of black animals.<ref name=":1" />
In 2010, resident Avis Carter reported seeing the beast on Bevendean Hill while picking apples. She described it as being larger than a normal cat with tabby-colored markings "but not in the style of a tabby cat." She watched it for a short while before it disappeared back into the undergrowth. <ref>[https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8453347.beast-of-bevendean-stalks-again/ Beast of Bevendean stalks again - The Argus]</ref>
Explanation
When the British Big Cats Society investigated the sightings they claimed "it could be a panther."<ref name=":0" />
After resident Debra Munn saw multiple felines in the area, there were claims that the Beast of Bevendean may be part of a breeding population of pumas or lynxes. In response to these claims Derek Bilston, founder of Sussex Big Cat Watch said "fewer people are using the countryside these days so big cats can wander around undisturbed. We don’t know how many are out there. There could be two or three or there could be dozens. They can travel huge distances, covering half the county in a night and so multiple sightings could all be one cat."<ref>[https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4795756.beast-of-bevendean-is-breeding-claims-brighton-woman/ Beast of Bevendean is breeding claims Brighton woman - The Argus]</ref>
In Popular Media
Sources
<references /> Category:Feline>Category:Feline Category:Cryptids>Category:Cryptids Category:Cryptid Wiki>Category:Cryptid Wiki Category:Mammals>Category:Mammals {{CryptidsNavBox}}Category:British cryptids>Category:British cryptids Category:European cryptids>Category:European cryptids Category:Carnivore>Category:Carnivore