In part one David McEwan briefs us on key sightings from south Scotland in 2021, in part two Frank Tunbridge offers highlights from the 2021 big cat reports he received. Both guests also reflect on Jim Corbett, the tracker, hunter and naturalist who wrote about man-eating tigers and leopards in north India in the middle of the 20th century, while Frank also discusses Kenneth Anderson’s experience of tigers and leopards in southern India in the same era. Word of the week: ghooming 17 January 2021...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 67
Our guests Annie Brazier and Shelly Coles discuss recent big cat encounters in Norfolk and in Ireland, as well as a shot cat from 2019 in Herefordshire. Annie and Shelly are both centrally involved in big cat sightings Facebook groups – they discuss the influence of Facebook on big cat reporting and they consider how the topic of big cats can affect people’s mental health. All photos, illustrations and videos discussed in this edition are available on the Big Cat Conversations web site: https://...
Jan 01, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 66
Frazier watched a big black cat hunt for geese in marshland at the Suffolk coast in November 2021 – he describes the spectacle of the autumn arrival of geese on the marsh, complete with the lurking predator. Words of the week : macan kumbang 11 December 2021
Dec 11, 2021•55 min•Ep. 65
In the first of two episodes featuring big cat reports of France, Michael describes watching a black panther creeping through summer pasture at the edge of his village in the Pas de Calais in 2020. We discuss why France has panther and puma reports and whether such cats could be breeding, or are released pets finding their feet in the French landscape. Words of the week: bêteséphémères 27 November 2021
Nov 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 64
Frances explains what happened when she noticed a puma following 3 schoolboys in southern Lanarkshire, Scotland. She then cautiously asked around her village and learnt that big cat reports were nothing new. Word of the week: solipsism 12 November 2021
Nov 12, 2021•56 min•Ep. 63
Black panthers, assumed to be black leopards, have been reported in the Wirral in Cheshire for over 20 years – our 2 guests describe some of these past sightings and explain their own encounters. Ben met a black leopard in woods in the Wirral peninsula in 2021 – he explains how it changed his outlook on the nearby countryside, while Matt witnessed a similar large cat in a close-by location 18 years ago. Now, as more reports emerge from the Wirral, Ben and Matt try to understand the routes of any...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 62
Paul MacDonald describes the discovery and lab testing of an apparently large cat’s carcass found near Bannockburn in 2020, and then discusses how the mapping of witness reports in south Scotland has identified key places to investigate. We then discuss the recent night-time cat footage in Larkhall, Scotland, with the houseowner Derek, asking whether it was a puma on the pathway, or a domestic cat on the fence, and how it influenced his family and neighbours. Word of the week: riparian 8 October...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 61
Author Nick Albert wrote about sensing and then seeing a black panther near his family’s West of Ireland home in his series of books Fresh Eggs and Dog Beds – we delve into those incidents with Nick in this episode, and we also hear from Dave, who had a black panther cross the road in front of him near peat cuttings in County Kilkenny in August 2021, coincidentally on his way to collect fresh eggs! Word of the week: aclaíocht 24 September 2021
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 60
Three guests chat through their big cat sightings at a Herefordshire pub – Dave D watched a panther jump a gate back in 1996, Sam saw a panther on the edge of the Brecon Beacons in 2018, and he may have snapped a grainy trail-cam photo of a lynx, while Dave Starkey updates us on his big cat novel Tonmawr and a possible sequel, following his south Wales sighting. They discuss how they strive to understand more about the animals they encountered… Words of the week: spectral sensitivity 10 Septembe...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 59
Tom re-lives his close encounter with a black leopard like cat near Stroud town centre in 2015, and his sighting of a similar looking cat which stopped the traffic when he was driving up a Cotswold hill in 2016. Rick and Tom also discuss some of the notable big cat reports in Gloucestershire during 2021. Word of the week: Corinium 28 August 2021
Aug 28, 2021•56 min•Ep. 58
On 1st August near Wexford, Ireland, Lar filmed a large black animal wandering past his house in the neighbouring field – still raw with emotion speaking on the podcast, he explains how he quickly sensed it was a large black panther, how he feels as a father of young kids, and how the Ireland big cats Facebook group has helped him assess the whole experience. Lar also explains why he thinks this could have been a recently escaped big cat. Word of the week: beithioch 13 August 2021...
Aug 13, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 57
Mark a Suffolk taxi driver explains his close up sighting of a black panther one evening, and how he now gets reports from customers about the topic, while Jo, a town councillor from Dolgellau, recounts her two sightings of a black panther in mid-north Wales. Both guests relay other snippets on local big cats they’ve heard from friends and contacts. Word of the week : Eryri 1 August 2021
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 56
James guides us through the forest environment at night in deepest Shropshire, keeping watch for the eye shine, movement and vibes of a big cat… Word of the week : habitat 17 July 2021
Jul 17, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 55
Zoologist Darren Naish explores the traits of larger cats in Britain and Europe from the Pleistocene times, and considers lessons for rewilding and the adaptations of any large cats in Britain now, whatever their origins. Twitter link for our guest Darren Naish: https://twitter.com/TetZoo On the Prowl book discussed in the episode: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/on-the-prowl/9780231184502 Word of the week: tetrapod 3 July 2021...
Jul 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 54
Our three guests have each witnessed big cats north of London in and around Hertfordshire and Essex – Matt encountered a black leopard on land where he is a deerstalker, while Andrew was awoken from his hammock in the night by his dog sensing a big cat, and Simon viewed a black panther when walking his dogs in Epping Forest. And Simon’s wife was a sceptic until they chanced upon something important when travelling in Scotland… Words of the week: wicked problem 19 June 2021...
Jun 19, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 53
British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas explains his techniques for filming wild animals up close, including his specially designed Beetlecam, and he re-lives the process of photographing a male black leopard in Kenya with his custom-built camera traps. We also talk about his recent black leopard book and the highlights amongst other wildlife he has captured on camera. Words of the week : shadow spots 6 June 2021
Jun 05, 2021•53 min•Ep. 52
Our guest Anne ran a stud farm on Anglesey where a black panther frequented her land for over a decade - she had detailed sightings of the cat stalking, experienced close encounters at night, and had armed vigilantes on her land in search of the animal. Anne explains the main events and describes her mix of emotions when living alongside a North Wales panther. We also consider an unusual type of wild prey that any big cats on Anglesey could be taking. Words of the week : diet analysis 23 May 202...
May 23, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 51
In our extended 50th edition, Gareth Patterson from South Africa offers highlights from his experience living with lions, tracking elusive elephants in the Knysna forest, and experiencing local leopards. Also, Gareth discusses how the Fynbos ecosystem of Knysna still keeps some deeper secrets. Audio is a little soft at times so headphones recommended. Website for our guest Gareth Patterson , containing links to his books and documentary clips on lions and elephants: www.garethpatterson.com Word ...
May 08, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 50
Andy roams the creeks of mid Cornwall and fishes local lakes – in two of his three sightings he had close calls with a panther at night, and now he follows up reports of both black and brown big cats. Our second guest Mark was secretly hoping to snap a big cat on a trail camera in North Cornwall - we hear how he got on… Big Cat Mystery outro music by special permission from Drive. Word of the week : boilies 23 April 2021
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 49
Janet noticed the neon eyes and the shadow spots on a black leopard, highlighted in the sun, as it leapt away from her and her dogs in County Leitrim, while Donal watched a black panther lit in his headlights as he stopped in shock when driving in the Wicklow mountains. Word of the week : drumlin 9 April 2021
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 48
We hear from Rod who saw a big cat in 1986 during his former police work in Kent, but it wasn’t until Clare Balding’s testimony on BBC’s Ramblings in 2021 that he felt vindicated – our second guest Laura in Kent had a black panther arrive next to her in the garden at night in March 2021. She’s been advised to call 999 if it comes again… W ords of the week : Iain Hunter tribute 25 March 2021
Mar 25, 2021•43 min•Ep. 47
Mat hid in the toilets after seeing a panther on a dawn walk in a country park near Nottingham, while Tom saw what he believes was a puma seizing a fox at dusk in a country park at Leicester – Mat and Tom explain their close encounters and both describe the response of their accompanying dog. Words of the week : Occam’s razor 11 March 2021
Mar 11, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 46
Matt Salusbury selects some highlights from Suffolk big cat reports, then John a landowner describes his three different sightings of a puma, a black panther, and two lynxes at play. We are then joined by Chris, who also saw the two lynxes after doubting John’s account. Words of the week : Black Shuck 26 February 2021
Feb 26, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 45
Cameron Nicoll explains the ideas that shaped his film Rare Creatures , on the big cat sightings of the Kintyre peninsula, and local resident George describes his close encounter with a black panther, which his dog detected first and growled at. George views big cats as a new part of Kintyre’s identity – adding to its sense of wildness. Watch the film here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Hn-kOqU3o Word of the week : mystery 12 February 2021...
Feb 12, 2021•56 min•Ep. 44
John takes us through several big cat sightings around Epping Forest, an ancient forest now busy with visitors on the north edge of Greater London, and we also hear from Mike who collided with a black panther driving on the A13 near the M25 in Essex. Words of the week : wood pasture 29 January 2021
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 43
Laura describes her three black panther encounters in north Hertfordshire, each of which seemed a different cat, while Lian our second guest runs the County’s big cats Facebook group, with ongoing reports of panthers, pumas and lynx. Word of the week: exotic 15 January 2021
Jan 15, 2021•55 min•Ep. 42
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
Jan 01, 2021•53 min•Ep. 41
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
Dec 19, 2020•56 min•Ep. 40
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
Dec 05, 2020•48 min•Ep. 39
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 cats they encountered. Words of the week : green bridges 21 November 2020...
Nov 21, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 38
