Big Cat Conversations

Our first guest Graham recounts a close encounter with a large black cat on the Isle of Skye during one of his fishing trips. We discuss how a cat like a black leopard could have arrived on Skye and how well such a cat could go unnoticed in the island’s wild terrain.  

For our second guest we catch up with Scotland research coordinator Paul Macdonald. Amongst recent highlights he describes two clips of footage shown to him at a recent rural show stand, and a report of a roadside puma carcass being recovered by a military crew.   

Thanks to Scottish folk singer Shona Donaldson for Beast o’the Bin.

Word of the week:   Fieldwork

12 September 2024

In this Summer edition we discuss pumas encountered in the wild on the England & Wales border in the Wye Valley, but we also visit a special sanctuary for re-homed exotic pets, also in the Wye Valley area. 

Our first guest Grant, explains how he and friends were advanced on by a puma when they were out lamping foxes one night. Grant describes the intense eye shine and what happened as the cat got closer…

Our second guest Lindsay has experience with large cats from South Africa. Now she runs Wildside Exotic Rescue, where pumas, lynx and a serval are amongst the rescued animals cared for. She explains the challenges of looking after the cats and the other animals, and she reflects on the consequences of people owning and needing to give up their exotic pets. The pumas are sometimes fed deer, and will be involved in a special scientific experiment to help big cat studies in Britain…

Visit www.wildsideexoticrescue.co.uk to learn more about Wildside and support the work of Lindsay and the team there. 

Words of the week:   scientific controls

21 August 2024

Steve our guest trains his working gun dog, a springer spaniel every morning at dawn. We hear of four occasions when he’s encountered a large black cat in his local Cheshire countryside.  For one of the sightings the animal had a pronounced limp.  On the BCC website (Refs & Links, Ep 113) Steve compares his sighting to the footage of a limping large black cat filmed in Scotland last year.

Steve and Rick also discuss the footage of an alleged large black cat filmed in Steve’s area of Cheshire in January 2024. The footage was shown in the media at the time and is now on the BCC website to view. 

Steve also recalls seeing a Scottish wildcat in Scotland and we hear about black panther and lynx reports mentioned on his fishing trips in Scotland. 

Word of the week:   observant  

27 July 2024

Our first guest Richard recounts a sudden episode of big cat reports from his time as a local police officer in Wiltshire. One of the cases involved a threatened domestic cat.

In the second part we catch up with tracker and wildlife guide Mark Graves who was first on ep 95. He explains why some photographed footprints and plaster casts are evidence for big cats in Scotland and in Dorset, and he discusses a call which matches a leopard vocalisation, recorded recently in a Devon woodland.  

We also reflect on a recent press report of a camper experiencing a black panther advancing towards him in a Derbyshire campsite. Mark gives feedback after speaking with the witness. 

Finally, Mark and Rick consider how distinct the British big cats may be, tuned as they are to the UK environment.  

 Words of the week:   character release

3 July 2024

We hear from Andy and from Gail, the different witnesses mentioned by Nick on his farm in episode 109. Andy and Gail speak about their own various big cat incidents during their farm visits, and they have each had one close up account… 

Andy confronted a large black “panther-leopard” one evening at the barns. Gail was on her way to the campsite portaloo when she watched a big black cat sitting in the early morning sun.

The cat-like footprint photographed by Nick for episode 109 (BCC website, Refs & Links page) may match the scale of the cat described by Gail. 

Word of the week:   coexistence   

8 June 2024

In this Cumbria update we discuss new DNA evidence with Sharon Larkin-Snowden following her input to episode 101. 

In October 2023 Sharon found a freshly consumed sheep carcass. Without realising, she also disturbed a big black cat at the scene. Later she swabbed the carcass for any saliva present, for a lab test. She and Rick discuss the DNA result which came back from the University of Warwick  

Sharon and her husband Ian describe their further investigations, including their use of a drone and thermal camera, and the family’s savannah cats provide some background sound effects. 

Our second-half guest is Diane from near Wigan in Lancashire. She has twice witnessed what she believes is a black leopard when dog walking. Diane was interviewed on Sky TV’s Hold the Front Page at the podcast’s big cat stand last September in Cumbria. She and Rick discuss their experience of working with TV comedians to help mainstream the topic of British big cats.  

 Words of the week:   forensic swabbing    

 14 May 2024

Nick runs a farm in the English midlands which is now transforming to wildlife friendly woods and meadows.  Amongst the farm’s wildlife are sightings and signs of big cats. 

Nick recounts people’s big cat encounters in the area and he describes the suspicious prints and the potential big cat lay-up spot found on his farm. 

He runs the farm in the knowledge that big cats have become part of the local wildlife, using the network of woods and the new wildlife habitats he helps to establish.  He feels the cats feast on rabbits and will help keep the deer skittish, which will prevent over-browsing of the younger trees and emerging woodland.   

 Words of the week:   Lay-up spots   

 19 April 2024

Eliza and two of her Cubs group friends came close to a black panther “with ears like a teddy bear” in their local Country Park in Spring 2023.  The location is a big greenspace, busy in the daytime with families and visitors on the edge of town, adding to the shock and surprise felt by Eliza and friends.  

Eliza and her mum Sarah join us to discuss the difficulties of young people being believed when they report a big cat. Sarah and Rick consider the challenge of awareness raising on big cats, especially for adults supervising young people on outdoor activities.

Words of the week:   tail talk

26 March 2024

Wayne is an angler in Essex. He describes 3 close encounters with big cats at fishing lakes. On one occasion he met with a leopard warning him off just meters away on a lakeside path. The nearby muntjac deer might owe its life to Wayne’s presence, as he stumbled upon the scene between the cat and the deer. He got close enough to see the big cat’s markings… 

Words of the week:   leopard popcorn smell   

5 March 2024

Janet is based in a remote corner of Argyll. She was unaware of the area’s long history of big cat reports until events kicked off close to her house in 2023. She explains the warning calls and the sightings she experienced locally and coincidentally when visiting Aberdeenshire. 

Janet is a professional photographer and explains how she is adapting her range of camera kit in preparation for big cats, especially in darkness and low light.  

 Word of the week:   guttural

 9 February 2024