Derbyshire big cat: skeleton in Peak District 'potential sign' of black leopard's feast - says big cat expert

Rick Minter, the BIG CAT CONVERSATIONS podcast host and author of BIG CATS Facing Britain’s Wild Predators, believes the skeletal remains found near Stanton Moor are potential signs of black leopards in the area.

The bones were first discovered and photographed by Bernadette Hall who was walking in the area with her husband and described the skeleton as “shocking” and “macabre”. Bernadette later published the photos on social media – with many people saying this proves big cats hunt in the area and have dragged another animal up the tree.

Following the discovery, Rick told Derbyshire Times: “There is always a chance of someone hoaxing, and arranging animal bones up a tree to play a prank, but the ribs on these skeletal remains seem to be partly sheared, which could be the result of a cat such as a black leopard. So perhaps the bones did lodge into this position, once a leopard finished its feed.

“The informant who took the carcass photo mentioned pumas – the tan coloured mountain lion. In their native lands pumas tend to drag and partly cover their prey remains when they cache them for a second sitting. We can only speculate how much the large cats reported here might adapt their behaviour for living in Britain. Hoisting a carcass up a tree might not happen so much - black leopards here could save energy and eat prey on the ground more, with no aggressive competitors and scavengers to contend with.

“The Stanton Moor area has a record for plausible sightings of these large cats. They are often active in ‘edge habitat’, where woodland meets moorland or pasture, and they can ambush prey such as deer.”

Bernadette said she had forgotten the legends of the big cats but, when she was growing up, she had childhood fears of being ‘hunted and eaten by a puma’.

Rick commented: “Many of us had childhood fears of big predators. But a look at the data shows this is a false alarm when it comes to pumas and black leopards. They do not actively hunt people in their native countries. They are wary of us, and although confrontations with people and their dogs are sometimes reported, these cats are rarely threatening and either stand their ground or flee according to witnesses. With plentiful natural prey like deer to rabbits and pigeons across the British landscape, these cats are unlikely to be stressed.”