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

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  September 2021

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

On 1^st 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

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

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

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

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

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. Black leopard book website: https://www.blackleopardbook.com/

Words of the week:   shadow spots

6 June 2021

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 2021