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 with black leopards when dog-walking in Somerset, 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 week:   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.

Words 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 a shorter version of this episode here: 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 

22 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

21 February 2020