Paul MacDonald describes the discovery and lab testing of a large cat’s carcass 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 2021

Big Cat Conversations

BCC EP:61 The body of Bannockburn – big questions from a cat carcass

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:   aclaíocht24 September 2021

BCC EP:60 Celtic-fringe cat & the panther of the peat bog

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 sensitivity10  September 2021

BCC EP:59 Panther chat in the pub – making sense of British big cats

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:   Corinium28 August 2021

BCC EP:58 The dawn panther - window shopping in Stroud

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 

BCC EP:57 Wexford’s wandering panther – the beast at the bottom of the garden

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

BCC EP:56 Panthers east & panthers west

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

BCC EP:55 Shropshire stakeout – big cats and nature’s night world

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/TetZooOn the Prowl  book discussed in the episode:   http://cup.columbia.edu/book/on-the-prowl/9780231184502Word of the week:   tetrapod3 July 2021

BCC EP:54 Awakening the Pleistocene predators - a deep history of big cats in Britain

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

BCC EP:53 Chance encounters - while deer stalking, dog walking & wild camping…

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 spots6 June 2021

BCC EP:52 Black in the night – filming Kenya’s panther

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   

BCC EP:51 Island hideout – the fugitive panther

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.Website for our guest Gareth Patterson, containing links to his books and documentary clips on lions and elephants:  www.garethpatterson.comWord of the week:  Otang8 May 2021

BCC EP:50 Lions, leopards and a lost tribe – South African secrets

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 

BCC EP:49 Cornish beasts along the creeks

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:   drumlin9 April 2021

BCC EP:48 Emerald eyes from the Emerald Isle

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…  Words of the week:   Iain Hunter tribute  25 March 2021   

BCC EP:47 Kent's catnip panther

The People's Podcast on Big Cat encounters in Britain. In each episode Rick Minter discusses big cat sightings with different witnesses, finding out what they saw or sensed, how they felt, and how these cases fit a bigger picture.

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Big Cat Conversations

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