Demon of Dartmoor: Mystery beast seen at hell hound's haunt
by REBECCA CAMBER - More by this author » Last updated at 21:31pm on 29th July 2007

Legend has it that a four-legged fiend with glowing eyes and a blood-curdling howl stalks this very spot.

Which makes these pictures of a mystery creature taken near Hound Tor on Dartmoor more intriguing than ever.

Seen only yards away from a party of schoolchildren, the animal has a thick, shaggy coat, rounded ears and large front limbs which would be powerful enough to tear human flesh.

Dartmoor Creature


The Beast in close-up: Some think it is a bear or wolverine

Some say it is a wild dog or cat. More fanciful theories include wolverine or bear.

Whatever its identity, the Beast of Dartmoor is giving some farmers sleepless nights because they fear it will prey on their stock.

Falconer Martin Whitley, who photographed the creature, said: "It was walking along a path about 200 yards away from me.

"It was black and grey and comparable in size to a miniature pony. It had very thick shoulders, a long, thick tail with a blunt end and small round ears.

"Its movements appeared feline, then bear-like sprang to mind. There was a party climbing on the tor opposite making a racket but it ignored them completely."

Dartmoor Creature


On the prowl: The creature trots along oblivious to the crowd of schoolchildren nearby.

A pack of spectral dogs known as the Whist Hounds or Hounds of Hell is said to roam the area according to local folklore, which inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The author is said to have been inspired by the legend of Squire Richard Cabell, a keen hunter from Brook Manor, Buckfastleigh.

The squire was rumoured to have sold his soul to the Devil and after he died on July 5, 1677, a phantom pack of black hunting dogs with glowing red eyes is said to have raced across Dartmoor on the night of his interment, breathing fire and howling at his tomb.

According to local legend, the demonic hounds have roamed the moor ever since and can often be seen around the anniversary of his death prowling around the grave trying to get the promised soul for the Devil.

The founder of the national research network Big Cats in Britain, Mark Fraser, said: "It looks like a wolverine or a bear in some shots and a big wild dog in others. It is a very strange animal."

Mr Whitley is adamant that the creature is not a wild dog.

He added: "I have worked with dogs all my life and it was definitely not that.

"I have seen a collie-sized black cat in the area about ten years ago and it was not that - this was a lot bigger.

"You would be surprised at the number of people who have seen black big cats and something resembling a small bear in the area over the course of the years."

Disappointingly for those who possess a vivid imagination, the most likely explanation yesterday was that the Beast is nothing more supernatural than a large and hairy wild boar.

North Devon farmer Al Dedames lost more than 100 of his stock of boar in December 2005 when animal rights activists raided his farm and destroyed fencing.

Since then, more than half are thought to have died in road traffic accidents or been shot by farmers or hunters.

But those which survived have bred and up to 175 are said to be roaming the wilds of Devon and Somerset.

www.dailymail.co.uk/pa...ge_id=1770

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk...923095.stm

Oh I saw this one, excellent read. To my mind, it looks like some type of wild boar, they can get very hairy and very big. I think if it were some type of strange creature the odds of just having one are pretty well stacked against. I would think that there are more wild boar on Dartmoor than we know about. I much prefer the ponies!!

I think either a wild bore, or possibly a mutant bison???? Pretty weird tho, I wouldn't want to see it in my back yard,,lol

The close up image looks like a black sheep to me. I think the head looks weird because it is turned away from the camera.
The distant image looks like a black dog.

bean i'm with you my first thought was a bison lol ... but i don't think it's a dog ... and when i think of a boar i think of a big pig with those tusk things and i don't see that on them ... and i've seen plenty a black bear in tennessee to know that that isn't a bear it's legs aren't shaped right o be one ... wolverine maybe ... but i'm going with a bison ... over grown one of course ... but i'm not familiar with this area that it is saying it is seen so i don't know what the boars look like there ... but my first guess was it resembled a bison ... i see how it looks like a black sheep also ... bah bah black sheep hehe

Amanda, bison are HUGE, plus Dartmoor is in England. I think we can rule out bison. They don't have any bison there outside of zoos. I can see why you suggested it, as in the photo, the body shape is similar to a bison.

How about wooly mammoth? Anyone want to go with that? (tee hee hee) I think that would be more fun than the Demon dog of Dartmoor, although without all the fun alliteration.

That's not the Beast of Dartmoor... it's my pet dog
By LUKE SALKELD
Last updated at 23:23pm on 3rd August 2007

When a picture emerged of a hulking beast stalking the moors, one woman wasn't chilled by rumours of its gaping jaws, glowing eyes and blood-curdling howls. That's because Lucinda Reid recognised the "Demon of Dartmoor" as ... her pet dog. The two-year-old Newfoundland - called Troy - weighs in at a whopping 12 stones. But, far from being ferocious, he's as gentle as a lamb.

The 'Beast' of Dartmoor is just a harmless hound called Troy, its owner claims. Miss Reid lives close to the spot where the photo was taken and often takes Troy for a walk there.

"I was in stitches when I read that someone thought Troy was the beast of Dartmoor," she said yesterday. "I spotted that it was him right away - you can tell by the shape and the way he is walking. We go up to that spot on Dartmoor all the time. It is only ten minutes away from our home and Troy loves to run about there."

Miss Reid lives with her boyfriend Phil Hervin and their five-year-old daughter Summer in Newton Abbot, Devon. She said the family pet is often mistaken for something far more sinister during their regular moorland walks.

"A lot of people don't have a clue what he is, because he's so big. "Troy frightens the life out of everyone because of his size and he doesn't look like a dog from a distance. He sometimes disappears off round the rocks on his own, and that's when he must have been photographed."

Martin Whitley's picture shows what looks like a strange animal loping across Dartmoor near a group of ramblers and children. Publication of the photograph stoked rumours that the moor is haunted by a pack of spectral dogs known as the Hounds of Hell. These mythical creatures are said to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write his famous Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles. The legend goes that a keen hunter called Richard Cabell, from Brook Manor, Buckfastleigh, Devon, sold his soul to the Devil. After he died on July 5, 1677, a pack of phantom hunting dogs with glowing red eyes are said to have raced across Dartmoor to howl at his tomb. They are supposed to appear every year on the anniversary of his death, trying to take his soul to Hell.

But Troy is definitely no hell-hound. "A lot of people can be a bit afraid of him at first," said Miss Reid. "He weighs 12 stone and comes up to my hip. He leaves massive footprints. I suppose from a distance he may not immediately look like a dog. But Troy is certainly nothing to be afraid of, he's a big softie. So, if anyone else sees him on the moor - there's no need to panic."

Miss Reid believes Troy might even hold a clue to the identity of the mystery creature said to prowl Bodmin Moor. "One of Troy's brothers lives near Bude in Cornwall," she said. "So maybe he is the Beast of Bodmin."

Here's the link: Troy, AKA Demon Dog

There are beautiful photos of the dog. My daughter always wanted one of these, but unfortunately, we don't live near a moor (LOL).

The body shape is fairly clearly not typical of any known carnivore...really the most likely guess for this one is that it's just a stray calf.
I believe long-haired cattle breeds aren't so uncommon.

The person who suggested it is a boar also has a good point. What it definitely doesn't look like is a bear--the legs are far too thin and long. It doesn't bear even the most remote resemblence to a wolverine--think of a large russet-furred badger, and you have a better idea of what a wolverine looks like. A small, wide animal. lol

I'm with Ruby on the whole sheep thing. In the pic it almost looks like it has the horns, just not as easy to see.

Yes, it does look very similar to the picture Ruby posted. My other thought is in agreement with Gerry, a wild boar, although I think the colour's wrong for that.