attacks on livestock dwindled. During the search the Marines' commanding officer was quoted as saying that their quarry behaved with high, almost human, intelligence and "always moved with surrounding cover amongst hedges and woods". Ultimately, the Marines were recalled from the field, due to concerns they might mistakenly shoot one of several reward-seeking amateur photographers thought to be on the same hunt. By 1987, the creature was connected to over 200 farm animal deaths. More recent attacks were reported in 1995 and 2001. The Ministry continued to study the reported sightings into the mid-1990s, before concluding that the Beast was either a hoax or myth and that the alleged sightings had been mistaken identifications of creatures native to the Exmoor area. See also Beast of Bodmin British big cats Maltese tiger Further reading References Cat folklore English legendary creatures Exmoor Mythological felines