Black Leopards In British History Are NOT Rare

 

 I have an index card entry on The Black Beast of Bungay":

1577 Aug 4 At the time a violent storm rages: clawing was heard on a church door and a "big black dog" was said to have entered and attacked parishioners. The account has been called into question as evidence seems to suggest a cat NOT dog. A lady born and bred in Bungay says it was a cat and quotes a song sung in school as a child:

"Scratch cat of Bungay,

Take a stick and knock it down

And it won't come back anymore"

Many articles and books have been written on the legends but the obvious cat aspects have been ignored.

You get a lot on a index card if you use a typewriter.

"The encounter on the same day at St Mary's Church, Bungay was described in A Straunge and Terrible Wunder by Abraham Fleming in 1577:

"This black dog, or the divel in such a linenesse (God hee knoweth al who worketh all,) running all along down the body of the church with great swiftnesse, and incredible haste, among the people, in a visible fourm and shape, passed between two persons, as they were kneeling uppon their knees, and occupied in prayer as it seemed, wrung the necks of them bothe at one instant clene backward, in somuch that even at a mome[n]t where they kneeled, they stra[n]gely dyed."

So it scratched, it seems to have snapped necks and other accounts mention the climbing ability.

All of this ignored as "exaggeration of superstitious people" BECAUSE it was obviously the supernatural black dog -Shuck.

Putting this into perspective, a friend born and raised in Suffolk told me one day how his mother, a Suffolk woman, had been delivering post in the dark during WW2. At one point a long, sleek black animal with long curving tail rushed across the road and through hedgerow. I asked her about this as she was obviously describing a leopard. No. "It was THE black dog" (Shuck).

Rare? No.

In West Somerset Romantic Routes & Mysterious Byways by Rev. Alan L. Holt (1984 - I have a signed copy) there is the story of two undertakers carrying a body in a coffin which at one point falls head first onto the road. Immediately ahead of the they see what sounds like a black leopard rush across the road silently. But no, this mid 1800s story explains that it was the man (in the coffin) spirit. NEVER mentioned by anyone but me because I do the reading!

So black leopards were about for a very long time -no question of black puma in most of the cases as America had never been officially discovered and animals from there never brought to England. My archives have a lot more than the accounts above.

Lost history.

The Question Of How Many "Big Cats" has Reared Its Head Again

 

Someone posted that if you see two "big cats" that will equal at least 1 offspring or more. Therefore for every cat seen that equalled young.  That makes no sense.

In fact it brings us back to there being "hundreds of puma/panthers" running about the UK and I have dealt with this before: https://exoticanimalsregister.blogspot.com/2022/04/some-250-pumas-and-250-black-leopards.html

This is a ridiculous idea. People cannot tell an adult from a juvenile cat let alone its sex. You have to base your hypothesis on some facts. 

In Wild Menagerie Britain's New Native Species I looked at the case of a panther that was trapped then killed by a MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Foods -pre DEFRA) vet when the witness thought that it was only being sedated since he had a wildlife park that would take it if caught.  The man, who provided a signed affidavit that neither MAFF or later DEFRA would refute, felt guilty and depressed over the incident as he had not wanted the animal harmed.  

So the "big cat" was gone.

A week or so later the man in question was checking his property and was taken aback to see an identical black cat not too far away. He felt that this "must have been the mate" of the one killed.   So in this case we know from the history given and the confirmation by police (who were also angry that the cat was killed) that there had been two panthers.  No way of knowing whether both were male or female and certainly no way of telling if they had young but do we jump to the conclusion that 1 + 1= cubs? No. We go by the evidence.

In Wales we catalogued attacks on ponies as well as sheep and added to the very obvious evidence the eye witness sightings of what were clearly puma. In fact, the main farm hit was run by new comers who had not been told about the history of puma in the area.  From observations it was ascertained that there was a resident female with her small territory and that the big male travelled a very large territory and was in fact "The Beast of" several areas including on the Welsh borders. So we roughly knew his territory.

The evidence showed that the male and female had particular eating habits and each started on a different part of a carcass.  At one point the amount of meat taken from carcasses increased which meant one thing -which was later proven: the female had young. Then it went quiet for a while until farmers reported sheep kills but the kills were "messy" and we suspected, before eye witness confirmation, that there were three cubs.

It is very likely that those three cats were the entire puma population of Wales and the borders based on known travel routes. However, from the Welsh border area we had a very close sighting in good light of an all black cat. The natural response was "panther" and the person I spoke to stated "Absolutely not. If it had been a leopard I would never have left the car to walk out and measure distances and estimate the size of the cat!" (again in the book) and this is not a standard response in these cases.  The man went on to mention face markings and "all the diagnostic features of a puma" but a black puma. As it turned out the man was a senior lecturer in zoology and had also worked on pumas in Canada.  So with the area involved we are talking 6 puma.

The problem is that we can only go by what we know. Back in the 1990s along with the head of a zoo a team was put together and a vet was included. A known puma was going to be trapped and the team would respond to sedate, radio collar and take what samples we needed and that would allow us to record the cat's territory and which kills were its.  One of those on the team had done freelance work for MAFF and he contacted them to tell them what was going on. Both myself and the zoo were threatened with legal action (in my case the threat included arrest which was a nonsense) because if we trapped the cat we had two options:

1. kill it on site and submit body to MAFF or

2. place in a zoo or wildlife park with suitable license.

We could not in any way release the cat even though it would give MAFF and farmers data to based actions on such as moving stock indoors when notified. MAFF did not want any evidence of there being any such cat in the UK getting out which is why we were told we would have to kill and take any such cat to a MAFF facility and surrender any video footage or photographs -another nonsense.

This means that we have no idea as to how long such cats live in the countryside or their death rates due to vehicles or disease. We KNEW where these cats were regularly sighted but a cat seen at A could well be the cat seen at B and C. At the time trail cams were very expensive so that is not an option like it is today.

There is no scientific reason why a puma cannot be black -that is simply ill educated dogma. So that black cat sighted is counted as a panther?  

Until the UK decides that it takes wildlife and wildlife surveying seriously, and it does not, then we can never really guess population numbers but a figure over 30 at a time would surprise me. We are not that big a country.

Coyote Packs In The UK?

(c)2025 respective copyright owner

The internet was supposed to make us smarter -knowledge at our finger tips but all it achieved was mushing IQs.

If you have read my Canids Red Paper 2022 you will know that jackals, coyotes and even wolves were released by hunts for their 'sport'.  Some were killed and some were never caught. However, other than jackal incidents pre 1910 the only other UK jackal report was a possible escapee in Cheshire circa 1974.

I have spoken to gamekeepers, country shooters, estate owners and many others over 50 years and while some will admit to "big cat" sightings not one ever said "Those bloody coyote are a bugger!"   I have documented feral dogs, jackals, coyotes, wolves and the true history of British foxes and have extensive records but no post 1910 coyotes (see Red Paper where the possibility is discussed).

Last night the Bristol Fox Lady, Sarah Mills responded to a photo of a fox with mange and explained that it had been treated but its hair needed to grow back.  "Anonymous" responded that it was no fox but a coyote. Sarah pointed out that we had no coyotes in the UK and was told she knew little of wildlife as it was 100% a coyote and there were known packs of them around the UK (apparently, I am guessing only people with IQs don't see them). 

My first instinct was that this started on either Reddit or Quora so I searched and found (on Quora):

Do Britons hunt coyotes? Are coyotes a menace in Britain?

No they're not a menace. They used to be. In fact they were hunted to extinction in England and Wales.

The coyotes only survived in Scotland after the 15th century. 

But, no, it seems as people noted seeing them and one had heard a pack racing after something along the Thames Estuary at night. 

My assumption was that, as there is a Thames and a London in Ontario, Canada this is what was being referred to. However, over on Reddit it seems people know of packs in the UK. Ever heard of the "Beau Gest effect" when coyotes vocalise? Ever heard a coyote vocalise because as packs they do and it beats the hell out of fox calls  

And a pack...

We have not had any free roaming coyotes in the UK and there are no free roaming coyote packs in and around towns and cities today. Stupidity and mixing up London and Thames in Canada may have added a poker to the rumour fire but I am more concerned that these people can vote.

That's the whole story. Nothing overly dramatic.

 

Someone read a press interview I did back in the 1990s in which I mentioned being offered a breeding pair of leopards for £1,500 and asked about it.  

Well, it was around 1997/1998 (I really do not want to get my log books out of storage for an exact date) and a gentleman with an Indian accent got in contact by telephone and offered me a breeding pair of black leopards.  It seems that a miss-read article from the press (I believe the Guardian) had him thinking I was looking to breed or keep black leopards).

The deal was simple; the Indian government would take the cost of transporting the animals and once handed over as part of a 'breeding program" everything else was up to me -keeping and feeding, etc.   I said I would need to check the facilities for keeping such cats and he gave me a number (extension that was at the High Commission of India in London and to get back to him. I would not be the first person to buy black leopards and every transaction had gone through with the correct governmental paperwork I was told.

I immediately contacted the Chief Constable who was basically the head of police forces wildlife crimes and told him about the call. I was told that there was nothing the police could do but it might be worth letting the Foreign Office and Her Majesty's Customs know since he thought it was a "tad dodgy".   

The outcome? 

Nothing.

If the official paperwork was with the animals and I agreed to keep them the problems might be at my end as I would need a Dangerous Wild Animals Licence and satisfactory and pre-inspected facilities to keep the cats in.

That was a bit of an eye-opener to me but looking at the legalities...yep. 100% legal. I decided to not phone the seller back (the phone number was checked by police and genuine) but he called me back. I was told there was no problem in not taking the cats as there was someone else interested but if I ever changed my mind to get in touch as "none of the previous purchasers have had any complaints" -so this was nothing new. Possibly corrupt but an embassy or High Commission and diplomatic immunity and no laws being broken it was a dead end but it did show that black leopards had been imported into the UK as well as regular coloured leopards.

That's the whole story. Nothing overly dramatic.

Was A Surrey Man Attacked By A Leopard? update

Update: If you are a UK "big cat" group then, yes, please do copy my findings but have the decency to credit source and not pretend your "team" did the work.

Pitiful hobbyists.

***************************************************************

Convenient that Ray Mears says there are large cats in the UK and the Daily Star (not the most credible source) comes up with this story.  Before commenting the story:

The Daily Star

 https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/man-attacked-leopard-walking-english-35856207?fbclid=IwY2xjawMpH6RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHgEo0UYgZrsk1LSpXTyxNCv9Mxt2ERhjkt4jyNBxJq7E3OKFXbb311QLl68o_aem_Idx8-Jx_3APDLJ7p6faCwg

Man 'attacked by a leopard' walking in English countryside and beast left claw marks

 

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES:

 

One bloke says he was looking at a deer through a hedge in the Surrey Hills when he was set upon by a leopard adding: 'I know it sounds mad but I also know what a leopard looks like'

A man claims he was savaged by a leopard - in leafy Surrey. The 69-year-old said he was left bleeding and with claw marks all over his body after being attacked by the beast.

He was walking in the Surrey Hills when he spotted a deer through a hedge and took some snaps. A light-coloured creature “with dark spots” then leapt at the hoofed animal before jumping onto him and clawing away, he claims. It comes as TV icon Ray Mears says big cats are ARE roaming the UK.

The bloke, who wishes to remain nameless, said: “I’m embarrassed to even be talking about it because I know it sounds mad. I know people will think I’m crazy. But I also know what a leopard looks like. This wasn’t a dog or a cat. It was a leopard - with its dark spots and all. That’s a fact.”

He added: “The deer screeched and leapt through the hedge towards me - and I realised there was a large animal latched onto its back and side.

“They knocked me over and the deer fled but the thing landed on me and started clawing at my neck and shoulder. I went to push it away with my right hand and that’s when I realised it was a huge cat.

I sort of hit it and it ran off, and I was left lying there, dazed.”

He has been left with claw marks on his face, neck, right arm, knee, and shoulder, as well as a sprained ankle. He said: “I was so completely shocked. I just couldn’t believe it. I don’t think it meant to attack me. It was hunting the deer - and I was in the way.”

And it’s not the first time a suspected big cat has been spotted in Surrey.

Local resident Gary Ridley runs the website Surrey Panther Watch - which invites people to log their sightings in the hope he can "conclusively prove that big cats are living wild in Surrey".

He has compiled dossiers recording hundreds of sightings across the county and previously told the BBC he is convinced five big cats are in the wild within a 10-mile radius of Guildford

Mr Ridley, a builder, told the broadcaster: "Since the 1960s, Surrey residents have described encounters with large, cat-like beasts, some black, some tan. Many sightings report a labrador-sized black cat, similar in appearance to a panther or puma, as well as sandy-coloured pumas and lynx.

"I'm absolutely convinced they are here in Surrey from evidence that I've seen."

 

Reports of big cats in Britain have long persisted - but conclusive evidence has never been found. The man involved in the recent 'leopard' sighting considered going to hospital to have his injuries treated - but decided against it as he thought no one would believe him. 

He said: "I did think, 'Should I go to hospital?' But I thought I'd be asked about what happened and people would think I'm a nutter.

"They'd laugh at me. I haven't told anyone as I don't want my reputation to be marred. People would just think I drunk too much that day or watched too many nature programmes. But I know what I saw."

Now comes my own personal view. Originally, I said fake based on the fact that there has never been a proven case of a large cat living wild in the UK attacking a person. There have been hisses and ears back when cornered but never an attack -the only fatal attacks have been by a cage leopard that was being mistreated or at circuses. Two previous alleged attacks by leopards that left claw marks were proven to be (1) self inflicted for publicity and financial gain and (2) faked with a press photographer "touching up mild scratches to look bad  -this was widely known at the time. In 1 and 2 big mistakes were made which revealed them to be non-animal made.    We do not release these factors for obvious reasons.  

Next, the police has no record of anyone reporting being attacked by a large cat and if such an attack had taken place they would have been responsible for the finding and  taking out of such an animal. I have discussed this with many police forces, chief constables and even the Home Office over the decades to try to develop procedures.  If you were attacked by a leopard in the Surrey countryside either you or your family would report it to the police.

Another thing you would need based on the description of the wounds is medical attention. Again, and you have to wait for sniggering to stop but hospitals treating such wounds are obliged to contact the police. No one has treated a "leopard attack victim" in Surrey.  

The injuries shown are scabbed over and at the least a month old (at the very least) and clean so the scratches were treated. The following are from a rare case of a big cat: a male leopard that had escaped from its unlocked cage attacked a 26-year-old male zoo worker. The report states:

"A 26-year-old male was found dead in the wee hours of the

morning in a leopard cage in the African feline pavilion in a zoo

that specializes in breeding African fauna. The man was

employed in the zoo as a feline caretaker. During the investigation,

it was discovered that the man entered the opened area of

the leopard pavilion immediately before the feline’s regular feeding

time, without checking if the animal was properly enclosed

or if the area of the pavilion was safe. The man was attacked on

the neck immediately after he entered the pavilion by a male

Persian leopard. The man died while being transported to the

hospital as a result of the injuries sustained. The investigation

also showed that the leopard escaped from the closed inner part

of the pavilion  through an unlocked and unsecured connecting

corridor."

Above from Petr Hejna,1 M.D. A Fatal Leopard Attack Journal of Forensic Sciences · February 2010

Now there are very noticeable similarities and it is also worth noting that the images have been brightened to make the injuries stand out. There are strong indications that these photographs did not originate from the UK but are from India but to positively identify the survivor of the attack an image of the person's face is required and despite face injuries being described -and these could be photographed without revealing the persons identity- none are shown.    

Everything from the account of the attack and the wounds claimed and no police or medical report all seem to indicate that this is a fabricated story using images from a genuine cat attack but not in the UK.

I am quite willing to talk to the man involved here if I am wrong.

Size Comparison for Reference

 

Wild Menagerie Britain's New Native Species Price Reduction Cut Off Date

 I should have made it clear but simply forgot! I have arranged that this book remains with a £12.00 (UK) cover price until 15th September. Thereafter it reverts to the actual cost of v£20.00 (UK)

96 Pages

Print Book: A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm), 

Standard Color, 60# White — Uncoated, Paperback 

Perfect Bound, Glossy Cover

Price:£12.00 GBP

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/wild-menagerie-britains-new-natve-species/paperback/product-zmr7y52.html?page=1&pageSize=4

For decades there have been reports of “Big Cats” roaming the British countryside killing sheep and deer. Are all of the observers from naturalists,zoologists, zoo personnel, police and others all mistaken?

Terry Hooper-Scharf set up the Exotic Animals Register (EAR) in 1977 to disprove the claims before become a UK police forces exotic wildlife consultant and member of the Partnership Against Wildlife crime (PAWS).  What he found out was almost unbelievable but with the gathered evidence including DNA results and bone analysis it seemed that there were exotic cats in the UK and that some had been here at least going back to the early 19th century.

The presented evidence saw the Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) force him off the PAWS scheme despite police protests.

Now read fact and not sensationalist press or fringe claims.