Hackney Marsh Beast - Big Cat, Big Dog or Bear?The Legend of the Hackney Marsh Beast has it that an ancient sabre tooth tiger is running free up the downs near Hackney Marsh.
Reports of the enigmatic Hackney Marsh Beast have been circulating, with some claiming to have seen the creature and even lost their dogs to it. Descriptions of the beast vary, with some saying it stands at 4 feet tall and sports unusually long teeth. More recent sightings, however, have likened the creature to a bear rather than a big cat, adding to the mystery.
On a fateful day in November 2008, a young man fishing with his family at Hollow Ponds reported a sighting that left the community divided. He described a 'strange dark figure, hunched over with a hairy back... It definitely looked like a bear.' Yet, a local park keeper dismissed the claim, stating, 'The biggest animals we've got in the woods are foxes.'
The newspaper maintained the expected degree of scepticism, dubbing the creature Hackney Marsh Beast and running headlines reading "Is Bigfoot on the loose in the woods?" and comments along the lines of "keep taking the tablets".
The newspapers failed to point out that these were not the area's first 'bear' sightings, nor would they be the last. 2012 Student Helen Murray spotted the beast while strolling through the woodland. Having a camera phone on her, she quickly snapped some pictures of the beast. She raised fears over the animal's identity and reported the latest sighting to the newspaper. What was the cause of all these reports? Paul Winter-Hart, the former Kula Shaker drummer, saw the pictures in the paper and came forward with an explanation for the sightings - his beloved Newfoundland dog, Willow! Paul, his wife and their children regularly walk Willow near the River Lea - where Helen took her pictures.
The family's pet stands over 5 feet tall on her hind legs. But Helen remains unconvinced that the creature she saw was a Newfoundland. She said: 'That dog is so cute. I am pretty sure it was not a dog as it was far too big and its build was not dog-like.'
