Thursday, May 31, 2007

British Werewolves Still Creating Controversy

From Britain's Stafford Post newspaper, here's the latest on the werewolves of the Cannock Chase:

Wolves may live on Chase - Expert, May 30 2007

A rash of 'caveman' and 'werewolf' sightings near Stafford could have a rational explanation - after one expert claimed REAL wolves could survive on Cannock Chase.

Paranormal investigators around the globe are in a frenzy after the Post revealed reports of a 'strange creature' on the beauty spot were growing.

Theories about the identity of the mysterious beast range from a 'deranged tramp' to a subterranean caveman who has made his home in an ancient network of tunnels beneath the Chase.

However, one investigator, based in Dallas, Texas, told us although he had an open mind on the supernatural explanations for the phenomenon, he suspected wolves, extinct in this country for hundreds of years, could have returned to the ancient hunting ground.

Nick Redfern, originally from Walsall, said this week: "Back in the '80s, reports surfaced of something that became known as the Ghost Dog of Brereton - which was a large dog-like animal seen here. And last summer there were local stories of a wild wolf seen near the M6. So, I'm convinced people are seeing something."

The paranormal expert, who is currently writing a book on reports of strange creatures on Cannock Chase, told us he took the idea of real wolves scavenging there ' seriously'.

"We know that people who have had big cats as exotic pets have released them into the wild when they got too big to handle - so perhaps-something similar has happened here with a wolf."

Derek Crawley is chairman of Staffordshire Mammal Society. He told us wolves, hunted to extinction in England more than 500 years ago, could make a home on the Chase. But he doubts a pack roaming there today could keep such a mysterious and low profile.

"There are enough prey items to sustain a population of large predators there," he said. "As for wolves, theoretically, yes but in reality, no. They are a pack animal so people would see a lot of them. They would confront dogs and other animals. So if there was a population, they would very soon be known about.

"What it could be is huskies. People do train them over the Chase and they can look quite 'wolf-like'." He added: "There are plans to reintroduce wolves but that's in areas like the Scottish Highlands where there are very few people. It wouldn't happen on Cannock Chase."

3 comments:

KAMI said...

William Shakespeare once said ~

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies."

We Live in Interesting times..... In all my yrs as a paranormal researcher and writer~ I have never had anyone personally approach me to say they had seen a werewolf on Cannock Chase ~neither did i or my co author as I know too ~ When we wrote and researched the C~Files (Chase Post) have anyone come forward ~

How ever ~ thats not to say its never happend and not to say people just havent reported it. doesnt make it any less real than it does real. and any mystery is worthy of research.

I will watch this space with interest.

and wish any avid researcher good luck with their quest.

fantafoo said...

im from wolvo though i remmeber in my youth as i mostly spent it over on the railway lines as there was a kind of forest and banks to make dens in on the other side(i was young hehe) but there was this time late 80s was around 2 weeks before x-mas with friends we saw a dog in the distance looked like a ghost its pupils was moon white with the light,thought it might be a white fox or a huskie but walking closer to it , could clearly see it wasnt with its build was ruff and dirty too, didnt look so happy either with how it was continiously looking at us we all started to sence a fear then it moved suddenly and we ran for our lives home, later convinced it was a wolf but never knew they was extinct at the time so can see how soft it must of sounded when i was telling my parents about it lol but ive never been scared of dogs what ever it was it defo wasnt someones pet thats for sure. have visited the location since but alot of it has been built upon now :(

Nick Redfern said...

Fantafoo:

Cheers for the very interesting story. Coming originally from Walsall myself, I have collected a lot of weird dog/wolf type stories from the Chase.

In fact, there was one published as late as last summer in the "Chase Post" newspaper.

Here's the link:

http://iccannock.icnetwork.co.uk/news/localnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=17306286%26siteid=75673-name_page.html

Thanks again for sharing the story.

Cheers
Nick