Residents of Cambridge Road in Eleven Miles, Bull Bay, are fascinated, confused and tormented by a mongoose that has been terrorising their community for the last week.

The lone nuisance has been wreaking havoc on the lives of the residents, who now have resorted to keeping their doors closed day and night to keep the creature out.

Damion, a resident of the community, told THE STAR that the mongoose was far from the average wild animal. "Da one ya a do some abnormal tings. Im a go inna people house, a look up pan people inna dem bed, and dem tings deh. Im boasy man. Normal mongoose run from people. Da one ya too tame."

the legendary mongoose

The residents, who are all familiar with the legendary mongoose, say he is quite strange as, while most animals would run at the mere sight of a human being or a larger animal, this one does not budge. One resident told THE STAR: "Not even di dog dem nuh bark after him. Dog, goat, P** ... everyting fraid a him. Dem walk wide when dem see him. An him nah run from di dog neither."

When THE STAR visited the community to view the famed creature who had been captured in a makeshift cage, Hillary, one resident obviously afraid for her cats' lives, chased them back inside when they ventured near to where the mongoose was. "Kitty go back inside!" she shouted, "Mi nuh want nuttin do yu."

unusual

Most of the community gathered in a small square where each resident shared his or her story and encounter with the unusual mongoose. It seemed everyone was familiar with the animal and its exploits and all were eager to share their tale. One woman was overheard telling her friends: "Da mongoose deh mek mi no sleep last night. People can't even go inna dem yard without a look if mongoose in deh too."

Residents say the creature, in its most menacing moments, stands on its hind legs and stares into the face of those who dare to confront him. They say he rarely backs down and never runs when approached. "Im come inna people house and when di people dem a run him, him jus look pan dem and den tek im time an walk out pan him two foot," Damion said.

One resident got the shock of her life when the animal walked into her house and stared at her as she lay in bed. "Di girl inna her room a watch tv, an one mind seh fi look up. She see dis ting a look pan her and she scream out. Di ting jus tek time walk out pan him foot dem."

Damion told THE STAR that the elderly folks in the community think the creature is looking for someone specific. They think its intentions are sinister. "Di people dem seh a somebody im a look fah. Cause im jus come an look pan yu from head to toe, an when im see seh a nuh yu, im jus walk whe."

the devil

One elderly man with whom THE STAR spoke said: "I don't know what sorta mongoose that is. He came into the yard and walked around the house, on the asphalt, not on the gra**. I don't know if it's the devil or if that is natural."

The residents managed to capture the elusive creature yesterday morning and told THE STAR that they might either call representatives from the zoo, an agricultural society, or take him far from the community and release him. In the meantime, they plan to keep their doors and windows closed so the four-legged terrorist would stay away.