Big Cat Conversations
Episodes
BCC EP:34 Misfit Cats – not the usual suspects
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
BCC EP:33 Black leopards – spotting the difference from Essex to Exmoor Zoo
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 bla...
BCC EP:32 Fact into fiction – a big cat novel & a panther play
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
BCC EP:31 Bodmin & Exmoor Beasts – the inside stories
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
BCC EP:30 The angry leopard – a close call on Anglesey
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
BCC EP:29 Devon panthers - quirks & confrontations
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our first guest John witnessed a “freckled” black panther in north Devon in June 2020, suggesting inbreeding in the cat, while our second guest Da...
BCC EP:28 Stalking - two can play
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
BCC EP:27 Tree-top predator & New Zealand panthers
27 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
BCC EP:26 The dog-watching leopards
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 sighti...
BCC EP:25 Power animals in lockdown
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wendy explains her puma and jaguar encounters in Columbia and checking for puma tracks in Cornwall - she recounts her former zoo work and her experien...
BCC EP:24 Horse sense – predator in the paddock
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 g...
BCC EP:23 Lone Star shadows – America’s hidden panthers
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With black panthers reported in many States of America, Michael Mayes, author of Shadow Cats considers the case for undetected black jaguars, black pu...
BCC EP:22 A cub breaks cover…
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
BCC EP:21 Night patrol – sensing nature’s secrets
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rhoda and Jay discuss searching for wildlife, people and big cats, by using tracking skills and senses, and thermal drones.Jay describes a black panth...
BCC EP:20 Jupiter rising - jungle cat prowling
21 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
BCC EP:19 Forest beasts and boar slayers
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 expla...
BCC EP:18 Panther chat in the pub – scary stories?
23 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
BCC EP:17 Bodmin Beasts – farming alongside the legends
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
John our first guest farms in Wiltshire where he lives alongside black panthers – they’ve been resting in his barn and strolling across pastures…...
BCC EP:16 Scottish landmarks – big cat hideouts
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
BCC EP:15 Southern Spain’s stranded panther
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 pa...
BCC EP:14 Cumbrian predators - panthers & the Tasmanian tiger
28 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
BCC EP:13 Lincolnshire - Cats of all sizes
15 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lincolnshire witnesses Wendy and Angela discuss the quandary of spreading the word about local big cats amongst sceptical neighbours. Wendy was grow...
BCC EP:12 Secret lynx & soft rewilding
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
BCC EP:11 Puma in the Park – in Orlando and Gateshead
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
BCC EP:10 Aussie panthers – secrets of the Bush
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
An in-depth discussion on the panthers and pumas reported across Australia with author and researcher Simon Townsend from Victoria.Simon explains why ...
BCC EP:09 Signs on the prey - the science of the tooth marks
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
BCC EP:08 The film-maker & the leopard – a Somerset stand-off
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 inspire...
BCC EP:07 Middle England Pantherwatch
22 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
An in-depth interview with Nigel Spencer reveals how he and his late father supported police follow-up work on big cat reports in Leicestershire &...
BCC EP:06 Call of the Wild – a deeper view of the Chilterns
07 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you thought Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns was a tame area of countryside close to London, maybe think again…We hear from Darren who kept clos...
BCC EP:05 Sheep farming in the shadow of a big cat
01 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our two different guests explain the challenges of sheep farming when a big cat makes a visit. Gordon ran a small sheep enterprise when he was based i...
BCC EP:04 Big cats from the Cotswolds to Corbett’s India
01 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gloucestershire’s Frank Tunbridge recounts his own close-up encounter with a big cat in the Cotswolds – he watched it snatch some rabbit bait at d...
BCC EP:02 Filming the panther across the valley
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We hear from Coryn near Stroud in Gloucestershire who explains her several sightings of a black panther across the valley from her house. She managed ...
BCC EP:03 Exmoor Beast - past and present
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We hear snippets from big cat witnesses in and around Exmoor as we visit Exmoor Zoo and the North Devon Show. A zoo keeper explains her encounter with...
BCC EP:01 Two panthers together, two pumas together
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Most witnesses of big cats in Britain claim to see one cat. This would match the fact that most species of wild cat are mainly solitary in their lifes...