5 times big cats were spotted roaming around the Derbyshire countryside

We’ve all heard the rumours about big cats roaming around the British countryside. Maybe you’ve even spotted one yourself?

Many dismiss these sightings as folklore (or just a big dog), but it turns out there might be more truth in it than you once thought.

Earlier this week it was announced the DNA of a big cat was identified from a swab taken from the remains of a dead sheep in the Lake District.

The Panthera genus was found following a DNA analysis carried out at the University of Warwick. This is the first time ever that big cat DNA was found on animal remains in the UK.

Following the discovery, speculations started on whether the evidence proves the existence of an individual big cat in the Lake District or whether it suggests that several big cats are roaming the British countryside.

Here’s a round-up of big cat sightings in Derbyshire from recent years.

Reports of big cat sightings in Derbyshire

1. Tree of bones

In July 2023, Bernadette Hall and her husband discovered bones in a tree in the Stanton Moor area and Rick told the Derbyshire Times the skeletal remains are potential signs of black leopards in the area.

2. Silky black cat

A few weeks later Paul Stocks, and his two sons Jacob, 20 and Ben, 23, from the Mystic Paranormal UK group, decided to look for the leopard in the Stanton Moor area and were left shocked after they spotted a ‘big black cat’ just six feet away from them.

The men described the animal as a very large, silky black cat with a very long swooping tail. They said it was much bigger than a fox and it moved exactly like the big cats you see on TV.

3. Long black tail

In 2022 more sightings were reported - Josh Williams and his friend Ben were walking from Mermaid’s Pool on Kinder Scout towards Edale in September, returning home after a night of wild camping in the Peak District. They had just passed Jacob’s Ladder when the pair spotted and recorded what they thought was a wild cat with a ‘long black tail’ in a nearby field.

4. Big cat growl

A few weeks earlier, YouTuber Novice Wildcamper who travels around the UK and records videos of his camping trips heard a growling sound while visiting White Edge. The video which he published on his channel had over 600 comments with many people saying that the growl sounds exactly like a big cat such as black leopard or lynx.

5. Paw prints by the river

In November 2022, Gareth Brimelow was walking by the River Dane in the Peak District, on the path to the bridge at Three Shires Head – where the borders of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire meet, when he noticed a number of carcasses along the route, as well as what he thought could be the paw print of a big cat.

More sightings have been reported in Derbyshire since 2014 – including in Dunston Moor, St Helen's, Eckington, Ticknall and more.

An earlier version of this story appeared on our sister title the Buxton Advertiser.