Big Cat Conversations

Ann, her son and their dogs disturbed a stalking panther on their evening walk in November 2020 – it was poised for attack as they watched events unfold… Rick and Ann discuss several other reported big cat encounters across Gloucestershire in recent years. 1 January 2021 Word of the week :  safari

One night in the Derbyshire Peak District, Billy our guest had some unexpected company as he did his rail-line inspection. Billy also explains why big cats might find railway lines convenient for food supply and for travel routes.   Word of the week:    ABCs 19 December 2020

Annie re-lives several close encounters with a panther in Somerset in a nearby quarry in 1993 – a reminder that big cats were experienced many years past, and close to where similar reports happen now. Annie now lives in southern Ireland and briefly considers big cat reports across the republic and Northern Ireland.  Word of the week:    chatoyant 5 December 2020

Tim was amazed to see a black panther in fields neighbouring his house in Berkshire in 2020 – he’d previously seen one on Salisbury Plain in 2004, while our second guest Maria watched a tan coloured puma carrying a rabbit in its mouth in Gloucestershire, then sensed it lurking in the dark and spooking her dogs, in July 2020. Both guests explain setting up trail cameras in the hope of filming the c...

David Hetherington, author of The Lynx and Us , re-lives the moment he was watched by a lynx in Switzerland and explains how the vivid wildlife and lynx photographs for his book were captured by Laurent Geslin. He considers when the lynx died out in the past in Britain and discusses how lynx reintroduction projects have been carried out in parts of Europe.     7 November 2020 Word of the week :  l...

Maria in Cornwall saw a lynx leap away in her woodland, while Rob in Gloucestershire drove past a lynx walking along a roadside ditch - both our guests explain how these encounters changed their view of the British countryside.    30 October 2020 Word of the week :  stochastic 

Matt Jones explains the challenge of filming large cats in Devon and Cornwall with trail cameras – one of his photos is discussed in the coming documentary Britain’s Big Cat Mystery , and we also hear of his sighting of a panther-like cat in October 2020. 17 October 2020 Word of the week :  pardus  

We hear from Amy-Louise who did an emergency stop to avoid hitting a large unusual puma when driving in Hampshire, and then from Joel who was shocked to see a tall black cat in reed beds near Hastings – Joel contrasts his sighting with a wild puma he witnessed in Texas.  Words of the week:  landscape connectivity 2 October 2020

Our first guest Paul watched a black panther in Essex for 15 minutes in August, struggling to take photos at dusk – we then visit Exmoor Zoo’s black leopards, and hear why local police sometimes ask if they’ve escaped.  Words of the week:    chuffing and prusten 18 September 2020 

In our first half David Anthony Starkey explains how glimpsing a big cat in south Wales led to his new novel about British black panthers – in the second half we feature Red in Tooth and Claw , a play about big cats in Britain by Simon Bovey, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.   Words of the week: art represents reality 2 September 2020 

We speak to Lord Tyler who called for the 1995 government study on potential big cats in the Bodmin area, and to Eric Ley about sheep predation on his Exmoor farm in 1983 and the community’s response, which started the Exmoor Beast legend.  Word of the week:   cat nip 20 August 2020

Our guest Josh disturbed a large feline shape in the dark on a break in Anglesey – it made angry calls and stalked him as he returned home with his dog.  He later observed the speed and power of the animal… Word of the week:  Tapetum lucidum   6 August 2020

Our first guest John witnessed a “freckled” black panther in north Devon in June 2020, suggesting inbreeding in the cat, while our second guest Dan was confronted by a panther on Dartmoor whilst on his Navy night-watch training.  Dan and Rick also discuss folklore associated with Britain’s big cat sightings.   Words of the week :  vitiligo  and  tulpa 24 July 2020

Our first guest Richard once shot a medium-large sized cat in southern England but wants to film a big cat now, while our second guest Andrew and his dogs were followed by a panther by the river Severn in May 2020 – local investigator Paul Ramsden discusses this case on location with Andrew.   Word of the week:  stalking 9 July 2020 

Béa our guest from Dorset was shocked by a large cat high in a tree – she rushed for a camera as it leapt from branch to branch, and we also hear from Scott Bainbridge about New Zealand big cat sightings. Word of the Week:    arboreal 27 June 2020

Angela describes her close encounters when dog-walking in Somerset big cat hot-spots over 30 years, and we also hear Clare Balding’s surprise sighting of a panther in Herefordshire in 2014, recorded on BBC Radio 4.  Word of the week :  pareidolia  12 June 2020

Wendy explains her puma and jaguar encounters in Columbia and checking for puma tracks in Cornwall - she recounts her former zoo work and her experience on deeper connections with owls, bears and big cats.  We also hear from Gloucestershire’s Frank Tunbridge about recent local big cat reports and his thoughts on the influence of lockdown on wildlife and big cats.  Word of the week:    cursorial  ...

We discuss big cats and horses with horse trainer Richard – he has seen a black panther in Warwickshire and a puma in California, while our second guest Rachel describes the impacts of a large cat attack on her horse in Herefordshire.  Word of the week:   catamount 14 May 2020

With black panthers reported in many States of America, Michael Mayes, author of Shadow Cats considers the case for undetected black jaguars, black pumas and other candidates. Michael also compares the stealth of large cats with another mystery animal reported deep in the wilds of America…  Word of the wee k:   cryptid 30 April 2020 

John our guest watched a mother and cub at close quarters in Shropshire, making him determined to photograph a big cat - he got his wish 5 years later in a Herefordshire wood. Word of the week : melanism 18 April 2020

Rhoda and Jay discuss searching for wildlife, people and big cats, by using tracking skills and senses, and thermal drones. Jay describes a black panther seen against the bright landscape of China clay in Cornwall, and Rhoda reflects on skills learnt from her time with Kalahari bushmen.  You can also watch the shorter version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=...

Craig recounts his time as a countryside ranger at Forfar Loch in Angus when he twice encountered a jungle cat. Several visitors also glimpsed the cat(s) and were more fascinated than fearful. Rick the podcast host compares his experience seeing and hearing a jungle cat in Gloucestershire. Word of the week : meso predator   21 March 2020

We join Alyn and Neil as they stake out the Forest of Dean and find a large wild boar carcass, eaten-out and despatched by a wild predator. They explain a recent big cat sighting through their thermal camera, describe cub sightings (check photo on the BCC web site), and discuss how tracking gets you closer to nature.  Words of the week: diagonal walking March 5  2020

From a Forest of Dean pub four guests discuss their big cat encounters.  We hear from local residents Meri and Walter, Tim from Gloucester and James from Shropshire. They compare their different panther sightings and consider whether we should be fearful of these alpha predators in our woods…   Word of the week:  Topography  23 February 2020 

John our first guest farms in Wiltshire where he lives alongside black panthers – they’ve been resting in his barn and strolling across pastures…  Neil our second guest farms in Cornwall amongst local reports of big cats. He describes two past attacks on his ewes which show the hallmarks of a large cat.  He now has trail cameras on his land and is alert to the prospect of a silent Bodmin Beast pas...