Black leopard seen near Ruckinge

Ruckinge sits on the fringe of Romney Marsh. At midnight on Monday 24th January 2011 a couple watched from their bedroom window (at a distance of fifteen-feet), a large, black cat, measuring over three-feet in length, which slinked from their drive. The couple had seen a black leopard previously, in 2005 at Kingsnorth, in Ashford. This sighting came after the bizarre statement from the Daily Star of the same month that there were "thirteen black leopards on Romney Marsh", according to wildlife expert Dave Riches.