Mysterious ‘beast’ ravages banana plants

Marva Williams, a 53-year-old farmer in Mount Ogle, St Andrew, is gripped with fear after discovering her banana plants savagely destroyed in what she believes is the work of a mysterious and "powerful" creature.

The ordeal unfolded last Saturday night, when Williams was startled by frantic barking from neighbourhood dogs.

"I instantly knew something was wrong," she recounted.

Too afraid to investigate in the darkness, Williams could only imagine the chaos unfolding outside. Her worst fears were confirmed at dawn when she stepped outside to a baffling and terrifying scene.

"When I saw what happened to the trees, I was so shocked I couldn't even go near them," a shaken Williams told THE STAR. "I've heard of this happening before, but I never thought I'd see it myself. To how it frighten mi, I couldn't even guh near the trees."

Three fully grown banana plants had been stripped of their bark, yet the leaves were untouched--a puzzling and unsettling sight.

This eerie destruction mirrors an incident in nearby Lawrence Tavern earlier this year. In March, farmer Mavis Edwards reported identical damage to her banana trees and speculated that either a strange beast or a monkey was responsible. However, Oral Lewis, head of extension services at the Banana Board Jamaica, previously dismissed these claims, attributing such damage to dogs chasing cats up trees.

But Williams isn't buying the explanation. Her concerns skyrocketed when she found two injured dogs near the damaged trees on Sunday morning, adding a chilling twist to the mystery.

She theorises that the mysterious beast may have attacked them as well, leaving her even more convinced that something unusual and dangerous is at play.