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 : lucerve
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 28 May 2020
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=12&v=bxcSVqSI65Y&feature=emb_logo Word of the week: ecotone 3 April 2020...
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 passing by. 7 February 2020 Words of the week: prey switching...
Our guest Paul recounts his big cat encounters at Glenfinnan and then at Arthur’s Seat near the heart of Edinburgh, where the police also documented a big cat. Paul also re-lives his experience confronting a mountain lion in the Canadian Rockies. Paul now investigates reports of big cats in the Scottish Borders and networks with local people to understand the nature of the cats. Word of the week: naturalise 24 January 2020...
Peter our guest explains the challenge of living with a freshly released black panther around his property in southern Spain. (An area which is not part of the Iberian lynx’s range). As he realised a panther was making regular visits close to his home, Peter had to adapt to the animal itself, and the different views of his guests, local people, hunters and the police… Words of the week: Xeric, Xerocole 13 January 2020
Cumbrian sculptor Shawn Williamson recounts his view of a panther spooking deer in the back lanes of the Lake District. He explains how panthers and big cats inspire some of his sculpture making. Rick and Shawn also discuss people’s elemental connections with wildlife including big cats and even the Tasmanian wolf or Thylacine, which itself has a historical link with Cumbria, as Shawn explains. Words of the week: General Impression of Size and Shape (GISS) 28 December 2019...
Lincolnshire witnesses Wendy and Angela discuss the quandary of spreading the word about local big cats amongst sceptical neighbours. Wendy was growled at by a puma when she disturbed it stalking feral cats. Her friend Angela is 12 miles away and has encountered black big cats, seeing a mother and young one night. Word of the week: Feral 15 December 2019
Our guest Peter Taylor suggests that rewilding helps nature and the human soul. He meets Rick at Wild Place, a new outpost of Bristol Zoo. Here brown bears, wolves and lynx can be viewed in a British woodland setting. Peter considers how Eurasian lynx could be re-introduced in Britain but only with support from local communities. Rick and Peter note that spontaneous rewilding has already happened in parts of Britain where large cats are a hidden part of the ecosystem. Watch the video version: ht...
We meet Gareth who lives in Gateshead district in north-east England. He describes how he had a surprise view of a puma stalking a deer on holiday in Florida a few years back. He then explains what happened early one morning in October 2019 when walking his dog in his local park, when he witnessed the same type of animal. Gareth and Rick consider how a puma might pass through residential areas like Gateshead, and other north-east sightings are discussed. Gareth also wonders why, several years ba...
An in-depth discussion on the panthers and pumas reported across Australia with author and researcher Simon Townsend from Victoria. Simon explains why he feels the Australian panthers match black leopards and are not outsize feral cats. Tawny coloured cats resembling pumas are also reported, which Simon includes in his accounts of witness reports. The discussion ranges over the origins of these cats, the likely prey carcasses which Simon examines, and attitudes of remote communities. Documentary...
We discuss how big cats use heathland as their territory with Jonathan McGowan, and hear about two of his encounters in Dorset and the New Forest. He scouts out suspected prey remains of deer in these areas, looking for tell-tale tooth marks on the bones. We then hear from Dr Andrew Hemmings in the lab at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. After receiving these skeletal remains from Jonathan and others, students gauge the tooth marks to identify those which match the scale and patte...
Matt Everett describes holding the gaze of a black leopard after he confronted the animal from his car on a sunken Somerset lane. The incident inspired him to create the forthcoming documentary Britain’s Big Cat Mystery . We hear some of the highlights and challenges from making the production. Our second guest Paul explains his sighting of a black panther in deepest Dorset and the reaction of his dogs on rushing back to the scene. Paul explains how you become more immersed in nature when search...
