Reader believes she has taken photo of the 'Beast of Hale' in a field off Old Meadow Lane, Hale

9:00am Thursday 24th May 2012 in News

Is this the Beast of Hale? Is this the Beast of Hale?

A MESSENGER reader believes she has captured the ‘Beast of Hale’ on film – and says it is definitely not a fox.

Jean Smith took this snap of a creature in a field near her home, the Leas, off Old Meadow Lane, Hale.

It is the second time she has spotted the animal, which she believes may be a savannah cat – a hybrid cat breed which is a cross between the domestic cat and the serval, a wild African cat.

Messenger has carried reports since last year of Hale residents seeing a strange looking animal – dubbed the ‘Beast of Hale’ – in the area.

Readers sent in photographs of what they believed to be this animal, but these were dismissed recently by wildlife experts at the Cheshire Wildlife Trust as being simply images of foxes.

But Jean, aged 65, is convinced the creature she saw is not a common-or-garden fox.

She said: “I am interested in wildlife and I know what a fox looks like. Those other photographs were foxes – but this was definitely not a fox.

“It had long legs, a long, lean, spotted body and a tail almost the length of its body.

“I think it was a savannah cat. It could have been released by somebody.”

A spokesman for the Cheshire Wildlife Trust said the photograph is not clear enough to make a judgement about even what species it is.

Comments(12)

AnimalWelfare2007 says...
3:09pm Thu 24 May 12

It is definitely a savannah, I have one, and it looks just like him. A serval cat is NOT a wild animal. Contact The Serval Conservation Organization to learn the truth about serval cats. www.servals.org. A savannah is an escape artist, doubt the owner set it free.

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dipperdapper says...
11:51pm Thu 24 May 12

that picture isnt real, its a hoax however there is something out there coz ive seen it with my own eyes and what i saw in broadheath does look like an african fox

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smittyh says...
2:01pm Fri 25 May 12

Mystery solved... It's a cat!

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Diane Robison says...
5:19pm Sun 27 May 12

I am positive that it is not a fox or a domestic cat . It has very big eyes . It kind of looks like a leopard mixed with a domestic cat . We do NOT have cats that are that big in England . The is something not right about that cat . What could it be ? Jessica Robison .

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Diane Robison says...
5:20pm Sun 27 May 12

I am positive that it is not a fox or a domestic cat . It has very big eyes . It kind of looks like a leopard mixed with a domestic cat . We do NOT have cats that are that big in England . The is something not right about that cat . What could it be ? Jessica Robison .

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martino1 says...
7:46am Mon 28 May 12

no cats are native to these isles, even domesticated cats are said to be from africa originally. The picture is far too pixelated to make anything out of it... one thing is clear... this beast needs to be stopped before it kills again?! :P

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martino1 says...
7:46am Mon 28 May 12

no cats are native to these isles, even domesticated cats are said to be from africa originally. The picture is far too pixelated to make anything out of it... one thing is clear... this beast needs to be stopped before it kills again?! :P

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WayneC says...
12:39pm Mon 28 May 12

This is a Bengal Cat which is a Domestic species bred from the Asian Jungle Cat. I am 100% positive as I have two. They are larger than the average cat that people own, and have few traits that domestic cats dont have.

For a start you can play fetch with them and they're not bothered by water. ( turn the shower on and turn your back and there in!).

This one looks like same as my Charlie.

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HelenD22 says...
4:41pm Mon 28 May 12

I have just been told by a friend that a picture of my cat is on this website. This isn't a beast. Its a domestic cat. MY cat!!! Thank you Wayne C for speaking common sense. It is a Bengal. Panic over. its not a wild animal and belongs to a very loving and caring home.

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Manhatten says...
5:40pm Mon 28 May 12

Oh good, I was just thinking that I'm not spending enough time cleaning up after the selfish morons who let their cats sh1t all over my lawn, now they're breeding them twice as big. What we really need is a cull of all the cats in the area (and ideally their owners too), they're a major problem and spread a lot more disease than dogs ever did.

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HelenD22 says...
11:06pm Mon 28 May 12

They are not twice as big they are the same size as a normal cat. Maybe we should cull people like you who seem unable to write a sentence without using a profanity.

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WayneC says...
8:01am Tue 29 May 12

Manhatten wrote:
Oh good, I was just thinking that I'm not spending enough time cleaning up after the selfish morons who let their cats sh1t all over my lawn, now they're breeding them twice as big. What we really need is a cull of all the cats in the area (and ideally their owners too), they're a major problem and spread a lot more disease than dogs ever did.
Feel free to pop round and try to cull my cats and me...... Would like to meet somebody who has implied that I am selfish moron and see if they have the guts to say it to my face and deal with the consequences. I think the biggest threat to society isnt cat droppings but idiots having access to a computers.

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