Unexpected, yet possible — tests suggest that there are black leopards in Britain:
The suspected sightings are far and wide across the country. In Essex, a fisherman was hissed at by a black leopard (he noticed its rosettes) at 5am as he disturbed it cornering a muntjac deer. In Somerset, a dog walker watched a black leopard take down a roe deer in the adjacent field – she located the dragged and neatly eaten carcass three days later, when she felt safe to return. In Dorset, a woman watched a black leopard effortlessly descend a tree after targeting a squirrel’s drey 12m up.
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So how did these cats spill into our landscapes? Quite simply, they were put here. They are likely the result of dumped pets and guard animals, released collections, discarded military mascots, illegally traded wildlife, and leakage from run-down, homespun zoos. While various big cats have always been collected, the mystique of the black leopard has an enduring appeal, making it a particularly popular choice to keep in captivity.
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We must also look at the scientific evidence. Positive DNA results proving the presence of big cats in Britain are limited, yet do exist. There are six publicly known positive DNA results that match the leopard (Panthera pardus), two from recent years: from Gloucestershire in 2022, from a hair snagged on a barbed-wire fence in the vicinity of a sheep kill; and from Cumbria in 2023, when DNA was found on a carcass – again, of a sheep.
See Rick Minter, Black leopards are quietly thriving in the British countryside, BBC Wildlife via Apple News, February 2025.
See also How to Survive a Leopard Attack, WikiHow, Updated January 12, 2025.