Part Two
The Strange Creatures
At dawn and dusk Cannock Chase is a piece place, nestled in Staffordshire, England. Drive through slowly or walk quietly and you just catch a glimpse of the wonderful deer that inhabit this vast wilderness. A sign of nature at its natural beauty.
This does, however, happen to be the more innocent and benevolent aspect of the inhabitants of the Chase. In part one of this three part series we looked at the way the area’s wartime history seems to have created paranormal phenomena in the area. In this part we are leaving the soldiers behind to examine the tales of strange creatures that are believed to be hiding in those dark dense woods.
The name Cannock means hill. It could also be associated with canis which is the species name for dogs and other related animals such as the wolf. So, it’s maybe no coincidence that wolves and wolf-like beings are said to be on the Chase. In the past ( and some say still) the area had wolves hunting their prey.
When the Chase hears the wolf howl…
The werewolves of Cannock Chase are one of the most enduring and frequently reported elements of the area’s vast paranormal reputation, turning the Staffordshire forest into what some call Britain’s premier hotspot for lycanthrope (werewolf) sightings. Unlike classic folklore werewolves tied to full moons and curses, these modern reports describe large, bipedal, wolf-like creatures that often blend traits of traditional werewolves with dogman or upright cryptid beings—tall, hairy, muscular figures that walk on two legs, with glowing eyes, snarling features, and sometimes aggressive behaviour .
Cannock Chase has accumulated dozens of such accounts over decades, with some sources claiming it accounts for nearly all reported werewolf sightings in the UK (e.g., a 2009 Fringe Weird report noted around 20–21 sightings, almost exclusively here). Key highlights include:
• 1970s wave — One of the earliest clusters came in the mid-1970s. A paranormal investigation group reportedly encountered a snarling beast that reared up on its hind legs before fleeing into the bushes. These stories helped cement the legend early on.
• 2000s investigations — In 2007, the West Midlands Ghost Club investigated multiple reports of a “werewolf-type creature” prowling the area, with several witnesses claiming to see it walking upright near the German War Cemetery on Camp Road (tying into the ghostly soldier lore you asked about earlier). Local media like the Stafford Post covered these calls.
• Recent sightings — Accounts continue into the 2020s. A notable 2024 report (covered in outlets like Stoke-on-Trent Live) involved a retired couple on an evening walk in July who described a terrifying encounter: a hairy, wolf-like creature standing upright, sprinting around with yellow eyes, huge teeth, and an ear-piercing howl. They were left visibly shaken. Paranormal researcher Lee Brickley (a Staffordshire native who’s written books like UFOs, Werewolves & The Pig-Man: Exposing England’s Strangest Location - Cannock Chase) has documented many such cases over 20+ years, often near the cemetery, woods, or trails. He links them to the area’s supposed “supernatural portal” that allegedly allows creatures like werewolves, the Black-Eyed Child, Pig-Man, and even UFOs to enter our world.
The “Dogman” is fast becoming a part of the canon of paranormal culture and cryptozoology of the Uk . Are these “dogmen” another name for werewolves ? Cannock Chase was ahead of the game here, with actual credible accounts being recorded as far back as the 1970s. In 2007 a scoutmaster saw a large wolf like beast lurking around the German war cemetery – frightening enough – but it then reared up on it's hind legs and loped off. That same year a postman claimed to have seen a similar creature, again walking on hind legs, and up to seven feet tall. A possible connection with these sightings occurred in 2006 when dozens of motorists reported witnessing a very large wolf running across the M6 motorway near Cannock.
A retired couple have shared their "terrifying" experience of encountering a creature with "yellow eyes", "huge teeth" and an "ear-piercing howl" during an evening walk. The beast, described as being "covered in hair like a giant wolf", was reportedly "standing upright and sprinting around". The chilling incident took place on July 18 at Cannock Chase, known as "one of the UK's most paranormally-active locations". The couple had parked their car near the Pye Green water tower and were walking through the woods towards the German Military Cemetery.
The husband noted that there "wasn't anyone else around that evening", which he found "a little unusual". He recalled his wife mentioning a stale smell in the air, which intensified as they approached the cemetery, leading them to fear they might find a deer carcass.
He recounted: "As we stood facing into the graveyard, the smell was at its most powerful, and it was then that we both saw something in the distance moving between the gravestones. It must have been eight feet tall, and it was incredibly broad.
"The creature was covered in hair like a giant wolf or something, but it was standing upright and sprinting around. I said to my wife, rather loudly, 'What on earth is that? ' The thing seemed to hear me. It turned around instantly and locked its eyes on us. They were big and yellow, and the creature had huge teeth, like nothing we'd ever seen before."
From the newspaper Stoke Sentinel
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/cannock-chase-horror-couple-spot-9608277
The mysterious Pig Man
The Pig Man (or Pig-Man) of Cannock Chase is one of the most infamous and bizarre cryptids/urban legends associated with Cannock Chase.
The Pig Man is described as a tall (around 7 feet), humanoid figure with a muscular human-like body—sometimes said to wear ragged clothes—but topped with the grotesque head of a pig, complete with a snout, elongated face, and animalistic features. It’s often portrayed as a menacing, hybrid creature lurking in the woods, particularly around areas like the Pye-Green Tower (a mysterious communications or radar structure in the chase).
This location seems to be a key? A portal?
Origin of the Legend
The story traces back to the post-World War II era (late 1940s onward), though documented sightings and tales gained traction later. The most common backstory claims it resulted from horrific secret experiments by Allied (British and American) scientists shortly after the war. In this tale:
• A local woman was allegedly abducted, hypnotized, and artificially impregnated with hybrid human-pig DNA as part of bizarre genetic or military research.
• She gave birth to the monstrous hybrid child.
• Shunned by society (sometimes with her family accusing her of an illegitimate pregnancy), she fled into the dense woods of Cannock Chase to raise it in secret.
• The creature grew up feral, abandoned, and vengeful, becoming the Pig Man who now haunts the area.
Some versions suggest the legend was deliberately spread by the military during WWII to deter civilians from wandering into restricted training or POW camp zones in the forest.
Sightings and Reports
Reported encounters are relatively sparse but chilling:
• The earliest vague sightings date to the 1940s.
• More documented claims include sightings in 1993, and others up to around 2011.
• Witnesses describe hearing eerie squeals or grunts in the woods at night, then spotting the towering figure watching from the trees or shadows.
• It’s sometimes linked to disappearances or used as a bogeyman to scare children (similar to a local monster story).
• One rhyme or creepy jingle often recited is something like:
“When night falls, enter the woods at your peril, For inside lurks something worse than the devil. Avoid at all cost the gathering place, where at midnight the Pig-man roams on Cannock Chase…”
Authors like Lee Brickley (who wrote books such as UFOs, Werewolves & the Pig-Man and Haunted Cannock Chase) have collected and popularised many of these accounts, treating Cannock Chase as a hotspot for strange phenomena.
Lee Brickly recounted a sighting by a camper of the pig man from 2024 “Standing there, staring directly at him, was an 8-foot-tall creature with the body of a man and the head of a pig. This monstrous figure seemed to emerge from a nightmare, its dark, beady eyes reflecting the light in an eerie fashion. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the man and the Pigman locked eyes. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the creature turned and vanished into the darkness of the forest.”
Source: Facebook New Pigman Sighting at Cannock Chase Hello, friends and fellow paranormal ...
Is It Real?
Like most cryptids, there’s no solid evidence—no clear photos, videos, or physical proof. Explanations range from:
• Misidentified animals (e.g., wild boars or people in costumes).
• Hoaxes or folklore embellishments.
• Psychological phenomena or urban myth-making in an already eerie forest.
• Some skeptics think military disinformation played a role historically.
Regardless, the Pig Man remains a staple of British paranormal lore, especially among ghost hunters, cryptid enthusiasts, and locals sharing spooky stories around Cannock Chase. If you’re ever hiking there after dark… well, the legends say to watch out for anything that snorts in the undergrowth.
Pumas or other large black cat
As of this article date there is no confirmed or scientifically verified puma (also known as cougar or mountain lion) living on Cannock Chase .
Cannock Chase has long been nicknamed a hotspot for “phantom big cats” or Alien Big Cats (ABCs) in the UK, with numerous anecdotal sightings over decades — often described as a sandy/brown or tawny puma-like cat (sometimes called the “Cannock Chase Puma”), though black panther-like variants also get mentioned. Reports date back years, with peaks in interest:
• Sightings of a “brown or sandy coloured” puma or mountain lion have been claimed for over 20 years, per local investigators and media like BirminghamLive.
• A historian named Richard Pursehouse reported seeing a black puma twice (around 2009 and later), describing it as large with a long tail.
• Other accounts include deer carcasses possibly linked to big cat predation, tree scratches interpreted as claw marks, and occasional photos/videos from trail cams or walkers that enthusiasts claim show big cats (though these are often blurry or debated).
• Staffordshire Police logs (e.g., via FOI requests) have recorded isolated “big cat” reports in the area, including one in Cannock Chase in May 2022, but no follow-ups confirmed anything exotic — most are dismissed or unexplained.
• Broader UK “big cat” lore ties in, with theories of escaped/released private pets from the 1970s/80s (post-Dangerous Wild Animals Act changes) surviving and breeding small populations.
However, no solid evidence exists for a resident puma or any breeding population:
• No bodies, clear DNA from scat/hair matching puma (some UK big cat hair has matched panther/leopard/jaguar elsewhere, but not specifically Cannock Chase or puma).
• No roadkill, captured animals, or verifiable tracks/carcasses that hold up to expert scrutiny in this location.
• The Chase is only about 26 square miles, popular with hikers, dog walkers, cyclists, and military users — a large cat evading detection long-term is improbable without more concrete proof (e.g., livestock kills, consistent scat, or camera traps yielding good images).
• Many sightings are likely misidentifications: large domestic cats, foxes, deer (in low light), or even dogs. Pareidolia in dense woods plays a role too.
• While rare confirmed cases exist elsewhere in Britain (e.g., Felicity the puma captured in Scotland in 1980, or occasional lynx/puma escapes), none link directly to a sustained Cannock Chase population.
However they have been reported sightings like this one…
“I've got dash camera footage, it run out on me across the road, up handsacre,(shaw lane) it's been spotted in the same field on 2 separate occasions by a brother and sister walking their dog, i've also seen iPhone footage, HD quality
Of a large black cat, no more than 30 feet away.
While the gentleman in question was out walking his hawk, the Hawk alerted him to the presence of a large black cat by bobbing its head. And gripping on to his gloved hand.. This was bye tupping hurst barns and cafe, the large black cat was the size of a labrador dog, and before anybody says it was a domestic cat, what are the chances of me seeing the largest domesticated cat in the world.??.. I've also spoken to several other people about their sightings, including farmers, and gamekeepers.
And everyday people just walking their dog and going about their business. I have currently got several trail cameras up. Monitoring certain locations, twenty four hours a day to maybe get a glimpse of what I witnessed again on shaw lane..” source: unknown
… and this ..
Johnyboy Scott said “my husband saw a huge black cat , not a domestic, many years ago near the caravan park between Brereton and Hazelslade. Non of these people have seen anything nor have mind's open enough to consider it. Until it happens to them. Then we'll all know about it”
Plus..
The Express and Birmingham Live both reported Scratch-like markings ( see photo) have been spotted on trees over Cannock Chase, amid long-running claims 'big cats' live in the sprawling Staffordshire woods. Marks have been left on two trees in the old Brindley Village area, close to where wildlife hunters allegedly put up 'scented carpets'to catch traces of the apex predators back in September 2022.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1745411/Big-cats-black-county-trees-scratch-picture-Cannock-Chase
The British Big foot
To date , there is no confirmed or scientifically verified Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) living in Cannock Chase. Bigfoot as a species is generally considered a cryptid with no solid evidence anywhere in the world, and the UK lacks the vast wilderness, food sources, and breeding population needed to support such a large undiscovered primate.
That said, Cannock Chase has gained a reputation in paranormal and cryptozoology circles as a hotspot for weird reports, including alleged Bigfoot-like sightings. People have claimed to see tall, hairy, upright figures moving quickly through the woods, sometimes described as 7-10 feet tall with flowing fur. Notable examples include:
• A January 2026 report where a father walking with his partner on New Year’s Day described seeing a broad, upright creature charging through misty woodland at high speed.
• Earlier claims, like a 2021 investigation by paranormal researcher Lee Buckley, who reported finding a large footprint (about 41 cm heel-to-toe) he attributed to a “British Bigfoot,” along with hearing of multiple sightings over recent years (some dating back to the 1800s in folklore).
• Various podcast clips, Reddit discussions, and local news stories mentioning “British Bigfoot” or Sasquatch-type encounters in the area.
However, these remain anecdotal eyewitness accounts with no physical proof (like clear photos, DNA, or bodies) that holds up to scrutiny.
Some supposed photos or evidence from Cannock Chase have been debunked as hoaxes. Skeptics point out the area’s small size (roughly 26 square miles, heavily visited by hikers), lack of suitable habitat for a hidden population, and the fact that similar sightings often turn out to be misidentified animals (like deer on hind legs), people in costumes, or simply pareidolia in dense woods.
So, there you go. There’s some strange beings on Cannock Chase. Or, is it all just BS. We will let you investigate and decide for yourself.
Join us next week for more paranormal activities on the Chase including the black eyed child!
