The Beast of Riber is an alleged wild animal that may live in the Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. Much of the district is situated in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent....

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 around the hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 of Riber

Riber

Riber is a hamlet in the Derbyshire Dales, lying within the boundaries of the town of Matlock. It is situated high on a hill overlooking the town and also Matlock Bath....

 near Matlock.

Some believe it to be a phantom wild cat

Phantom cat

Phantom cats, also known as Alien Big Cats , are large felines, such as jaguars or cougars, which have been purported to appear in regions outside their indigenous range...

, like the Beast of Bodmin

Beast of Bodmin

The Beast of Bodmin, also known as The Beast of Bodmin Moor like The Beast of Exmoor, is a phantom wild cat purported to live in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom...

, whilst other contest that it is simply a fox

Fox

Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

 or other similar creature. Some suggest that the animal may have escaped from the Wildlife Park

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

 which used to exist at Riber Castle

Riber Castle

Riber Castle is a 19th century Grade II listed country house situated in the hamlet of Riber on a hill overlooking Matlock, Derbyshire. It was built by John Smedley in 1862 as his private home...

. It could also be one of several non-native big cat

Big cat

The term big cat – which is not a biological classification – is used informally to distinguish the larger felid species from smaller ones. One definition of "big cat" includes the four members of the genus Panthera: the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard. Members of this genus are the only cats able...

s which are thought to be living wild in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, having being released after the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976, which forced owners of exotic pets

Exotic pet

An exotic pet is a rare or unusual animal pet, or an animal kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet.The definition is an evolving one; some rodents, reptiles, and amphibians have become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy to no longer be considered exotic...

 to license premises where such animals are kept.

There have been many sightings including:

• 2001 - several "big cat
  Big cat
  The term big cat – which is not a biological classification – is used informally to distinguish the larger felid species from smaller ones. One definition of "big cat" includes the four members of the genus Panthera: the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard. Members of this genus are the only cats able...
  
  " sightings around Matlock and a panther
  Leopard
  The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
  
   reported on the slopes around the castle.

• 2002 - hairs were found on a wall that a big cat had allegedly vaulted over – but DNA testing returned negative results.

- but the rumours had ceased until a new sighting was made on April 8, 2006 when a lamb

Domestic sheep

Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...

was found having been partially eaten.

External links

Reports of the April 2006 sighting:

• http://www.matlocktoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=749&ArticleID=1451871