Black Leopard Field Signs In West Somerset

Suspected Black Leopard Field Signs in West Somerset

West Somerset has some of the most beautiful scenery in England, with the Quantock Hills and Brendon Hills which merge into Exmoor National Park. This part of Britain has perfect terrain for big cats, with hills, deep valleys, ravines, tumbling brooks and dense woodland filled with deer. It is wild and sparsely populated with small villages and hamlets and hidden manor houses and having Minehead, with a population of under 12,000, as it's largest town. There have been many sightings of big cats. Two of my own sightings of black leopards were in West Somerset, including my terrifying stalking experience on Croydon Hill, near the village of Dunster, on Christmas Eve in 1985! To go to West Somerset is like taking a journey back in time to a quieter age. The black leopards and pumas of West Somerset thrive in their ancient hidden kingdom.

Here are some photos which seem to show signs of at least one leopard living in a part of West Somerset which my friend Nick and I have been walking in and exploring and where there have been a few sightings of a black leopard. It's just a possible glimpse into the secretive world of a leopard and the story is surely being mirrored across the whole region and, indeed, across the whole of Great Britain. How privileged we are to have these big cats living alongside us in the beautiful British countryside! I hope to add more photos to this page in due course!

Suspected leopard footprints

Suspected right hind leopard footprint taken on 14/03/2025 in West Somerset. The left hand top toe looks like it has slipped down in the mud a few millimetres to become almost level with the right toe. There is some flexibility in a leopards toes. Photo copyright Nick Squire 2025

Suspected left hind leopard footprint, which looks like it was made on a slide, taken on 14/03/2025 in West Somerset. Photo copyright Nick Squire 2026

Suspected Safe Feeding Area

Sheep bones found in a large dense thicket. This is almost certainly a safe feeding area for the leopard/leopards.

Suspected leopard safe feeding area in West Somerset. Photo copyright Alex Bowler 2024.

Dead Lamb - Suspected Leopard Kill

The remains of the lamb shown here show hallmarks of a leopard kill. The ribs have been sheared off by strong carnassial teeth and the bones show carnassial teeth marks. It has been totally eaten out and the fur at the bottom of the picture has been pulled down by an animal of great strength. The spinal area has been blackened by the sun. It looks like the flesh which would have covered the ligaments has been licked off by the rough tongue of a leopard, exposing the tough intact ligaments underneath, something a dog or fox could or would never do.

Remains of sheep found on the 6th of August, 2026, in a West Somerset field showing the ribs sheared off by strong carnassial teeth and with teeth makes on the bones . Photo copyright N.S. 2026

Close-up of the pelvis area showing carnassial teeth marks on the ball joint.

Remains of sheep found on the 6th of August, 2026, in a West Somerset field. Photo copyright Nick Squire 2026.

The skull of the lamb has been damaged greatly by very strong teeth. It looks like the eye socket bone has been sheared off in one bite. There's a hole in the top layer of bone which was probably made by an incisor tooth. Photo copyright Alex Bowler 2026

Very strong jaws have sheared off the muzzle of the lamb. The bones show carnassial tooth marks. Photo copyright Alex Bowler 2026

Sheep remains found in 2024

Below we can see the remains of a sheep. It seems possible that this animal fell prey to a leopard in the very same area.

Sheep bones in West Somerset showing shearing on some rib ends by strong carnassial teeth - Photo Copyright Nick Squire 2024.