BEAST OF BODMIN

Certain wildlife experts have admitted their fears insuggesting that a conspiracy at the highest level existsbehind the British government’s failure to admit the existenceof the Beast of Bodmin.A three-month study was carried out by top animal expertsfrom the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,following complaints by local farmers. But the chairman ofthe National Register of Big Cat Sightings, Bob Engledow,believes that the study was inconclusive only because ofhidden motives.He says:“There was no way that there was a genuine study. It wasonly done for a very short time over a very limited area. Ifthey were genuinely looking they would have kept on for acouple of years right across the country. They obviouslywant to sweep up the queries as quickly as possible. I’mconfident there’s a cover-up by the government.”Government officials have denied these allegations. Arepresentative for the Ministry said in response:“We did it with the best experts available. We gave it ourbest shot. They weren’t just going on a scouting mission with an elephant gun and a pair of binoculars. They wentwhere there had been sightings and tracks found and unusuallivestock deaths. We analyzed pictures and videos.We didn’t do it as a great tracking-down exercise with greatnumbers of people sweeping the moor.”But Mr. Engledow said that it was in the government’sinterest not to find the beast.“I think the government is worried about paying compensationto farmers who have lost livestock. It would haveto pay because pumas and panthers escaped from captivityand the government should have caught them and not letthem breed.”He goes on to add that hundreds of detailed sightingsproved the big cats were loose in thirty-three counties. Moreover,if the government is not prepared to admit the existenceof the Beast of Bodmin, howcan we knowwhat it is or is nothiding about the likes of the Loch Ness monster?Of course, there is also the theory that the Beast of Bodminis an alien in cahoots with the government. It might bea trifle embarrassing for the authorities to admit this at thisstage, and might command a fundamental disrespect whichwould not stand them in terribly good stead at the next general election.