- Beast of Riber
The Beast of Riber is an alleged
wild animal that may live in theDerbyshire Dales inEngland around the hamlet ofRiber near Matlock.Some believe it to be a phantom wild cat, like the
Beast of Bodmin , whilst other contest that it is simply afox or other similar creature. Some suggest that the animal may have escaped from the Wildlife Park which used to exist atRiber Castle . It could also be one of several non-nativebig cat s which are thought to be living wild in theUnited Kingdom , having being released after the introduction of theDangerous Wild Animals Act in1976 , which forced owners of exotic pets to license premises where such animals are kept.There have been many sightings including:
*2001 - several "
big cat " sightings around Matlock and a panther reported on the slopes around the castle.*2002 - hairs were found on a wall that a big cat had allegedly vaulted over – but
DNA testing returned negative results. - but the rumours had ceased until a new sighting was made onApril 8 ,2006 when a lamb was found having been partially eaten.External links
Reports of the April 2006 sighting:
*http://www.matlocktoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=749&ArticleID=1451871ee also
*
Beast of Bodmin
*British big cats
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