Black leopard seen at Ashford

At 12:00pm on Thursday 5th April an elderly couple travelling on the Brenzett Road, from a visit to Rye, observed a black leopard which crossed a field not far from the Bridgefields estate. The animal, like in most cases, was described as labrador-size with a long tail, a muscular shoulder and having patchy markings which could be seen on the hind quarters. The animal emerged from a hedgerow around 100 yards away and headed off towards the direction of Hamstreet.