#boncath

Walking through a glade on the Cilwendeg estate, in Pembrokeshire, one suddenly encounters the prettiest of buildings: one would not be at all surprised if Hansel and Gretel skipped around the corner. The monochrome exterior, with stepped parapet, conceals a vibrant interior with walls and ceiling decorated with shells and minerals, brightly coloured glass in the windows and a floor inlaid with…

Believed to have been an escaped big cat, a large domestic cat, an alien or even just a figment of popular imagination - the beast of Boncath sits down with Pembrokeshire News to set the record straight...

A misunderstood monster?

There has been a long tradition of big cats being spotted throughout the United Kingdom, and while some may have genuinely been escaped animals, it often turns out to be a false alarm. Optical illusions caused by certain night time landscapes can often make the smallest domesticated cat seem like a panther stalking down a sheep or a jaguar about to pounce. Pembrokeshire's own mythical big cat, The Beast of Boncath, was long believed to have been a similar mistake with some even going as far as to say reports had been exaggerated and heightened by community gossip. John Griffiths, a resident of Boncath, faced ridicule in 2004 by suggesting the beast was actually a visiting extraterrestrial life form.

Now the time for speculation and rumour is over. The Beast of Boncath introduced itself to the village of Boncath last week in an attempt to make a formal apology for its actions. While most the village had no issue, some residents were outraged by the beast's return. They remember living in fear for months on end after a sighting and some claim to have lost over thirty sheep to the animal. It is fair to say that the beast has been inactive for many years, many people in Pembrokeshire now have no recollection of the big cat scare that began over a decade ago.

Pembrokeshire News caught up with the beast on its recent press tour around the Boncath area to ask a few pressing questions...

Pembrokeshire News: So it's been a while since we've heard anything about you, what's been going on in that time?

Beast of Boncath: Well...I settled down. I'd had enough of that lifestyle in general and was pushing on five years old...I think it was just time to stop. I've now got a family and we live very happily elsewhere in private.

PN: So why did you choose to come back?

BOB: Mostly to close that chapter of my life y'know, it was tough living with what I'd done to such a lovely rural community like this. I think also just to clear up what actually happened because rumours had gotten out of control.

PN: ...and are you sorry?

BOB: Of course. I would never wish to scare anyone, let alone a whole area. I was just young, carefree and didn't think about the effect I was having.

PN: These claims that you've killed up to thirty sheep, now are they-

BOB: They are a gross fabrication of the truth.

PN: How so?

BOB: For one thing, I don't eat mutton - who does? Secondly I respect the countryside and all the local farmers, I understand that those sheep represent livelihoods and so would never touch them.

PN: Dead sheep were found though...

BOB: Yes. Dead sheep are found all the time. When a couple of people have seen a big cat wandering around too...they jump to conclusions.

PN: How has this gone down, what has the reception been like for your return?

BOB: Mostly positive. Either people don't know who I am or they knew I was harmless. Some even thought I didn't exist. Those people were more than ready to hear what I had to say. There were a few individuals who for some reason are stuck in the past about these things and refuse to accept my side of the story. That's up to them but they have to realise that the British big cat community is here to stay.

PN: Thank you for the time you've taken to speak with us, good luck with the tour and congratulations for your family.

BOB: No problem, stick around for the buffet if you want.

I was going through some old photos to scan into my computer when I came across some which reminded me of my favourite of all the books I've written. Not because it's the best - which it isn't - but because not only was it based on a very enjoyable family holiday, but I made my daughter the hero of the story!