Thanks for the heads up from Kirst D’Raven (from the Unknown Phenomena Investigation Association), who pointed out this updated story in the Chorley Guardian about the Buckshaw Beast.
The Guardian – which is probably normally delivered by Town Crier (or on wooden tablets in hard copy) to Buckshaw residents – is naturally all excited about the worldwide media attention the story has whipped up.
I must admit that the whole thing is still a little unclear. You see, in August 2007 there was a similar story about The Beast Of Dartmoor (the Daily Mail has a vast repertoire of headline vocabulary, as you can see). The ‘beast’ turned out to be Troy – a Newfoundland dog approximately the size of small asteroid, who wandered around the place where the picture was taken.
People seem to be claiming that the photo of the Buckshaw Beast is the same photo of Troy from 2 years ago. Take a look at the two side-by-side. Troy is on the left, the latest Beast on the right:
Troy vs. The Beast
I’m not convinced they are the same photograph. Troy’s left foreleg is reaching forward as if he is walking, and he is next to a rock. The Beast is standing still and there is no rock visible. But having said that, the two animals are almost identical in appearance. Uncannily similar, in fact, and it would not surprise me if the photos are of Troy from different angles – or possibly of another Newfoundland.
Now there’s a thought: does anyone in Buckshaw own a Newfoundland?
Something else I noticed when I had a quick look to see exactly what the geography around Buckshaw is like, and that is that Buckshaw Village is sandwiched between the M6 (less than 1km to the west), and the M61 (less than 2km to the east). There is a notable lack of any wild open space except for a few small managed woods adjoining the two golf clubs bordering the village, and a country park to the north, which is bordered by the M6, M61, and M65. It isn’t what you would call wolf or hyena country. But it is dangerously close to places like Wigan, Preston, Manchester, Bolton, and Blackburn… definitely crackpot country!
One thing is certain: it isn’t a wolf and it isn’t a hyena. OK, that’s two things, but you get what I mean! Nor is it a cross between a boar and a wolf, or any other pair of species incapable of breeding together (either as a result of some warped desire, or through the basic laws of biology). I doubt even that wild boars can be found in the location in question, and certainly not unless they managed to cross the motorways – and that wouldn’t make sense, because they are sods to find even when you know they inhabit an area.