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© 2024 Big Cat Conversations
Description
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.
108 Episodes
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Eliza and two of her Cubs group friends came close to a black panther “with ears like a teddy bear” in their local Country Park in Spring 2023. The location is a big greenspace, busy in the daytime with families and visitors on the edge of town, adding to the shock and surprise felt by Eliza and friends. Eliza and her mum Sarah join us to discuss the difficulties of young people being believed when they report a big cat. Sarah and Rick consider the challenge of awareness raising on big cats, especially for adults supervising young people on outdoor activities.Words of the week: tail talk26 March 2024
Wayne is an angler in Essex. He describes 3 close encounters with big cats at fishing lakes. On one occasion he met with a leopard warning him off just meters away on a lakeside path. The nearby muntjac deer might owe its life to Wayne’s presence, as he stumbled upon the scene between the cat and the deer. He got close enough to see the big cat’s markings… Words of the week: leopard popcorn smell 5 March 2024
1Janet is based in a remote corner of Argyll. She was unaware of the area’s long history of big cat reports until events kicked off close to her house in 2023. She explains the warning calls and the sightings she experienced locally and coincidentally when visiting Aberdeenshire. Janet is a professional photographer and explains how she is adapting her range of camera kit in preparation for big cats, especially in darkness and low light. Word of the week: guttural 9 February 2024
We hear from Paul, an investigator near John O’Groats in north-east Scotland. He re-tells several big cat sighting reports from recent years, and he explains his use of trail cams, night vision cameras, and lures. Last summer he followed up a local black leopard report, then found himself in a dense woodland with a growling cat just a few feet away. The scary incident took a twist later that night… Words of the week: nape bite17 January 2024
Adam’s Grandfather’s once had a big cat sighting in Sherwood Forest and now, decades later, Adam has just experienced a large black cat in the same area - we hear the details in this episode.Adam also discusses several big cat encounters he’s heard of from friends and contacts in Nottinghamshire and Shropshire, as well as some perfect footage of a puma he was shown. As an ecologist he meets people in remote parts of the English midlands who are in prime positions to witness wildlife. He also considers the niche available for big cats in the British landscape, and he explains how a lifetime of observing wildlife can bring the odd surprise. More notes for the episode at: bigcatconversations.com/refs-links/Words of the week: niche & vigil27 December 2023
We hear Sue’s experience after 10 years’ worth of big cat sightings and incidents around her stables in Essex.Her daughter and sons have had close sightings, and in one of Sue’s encounters she was next to a black panther in the stable yard at dusk.Sue describes some severe impacts on two of the horses after close confrontations with a big cat, and she explains the ongoing extra costs she is faced with in feed and vets’ bills, managing the stables alongside the varying visits of big cats. Words of the week: foxlights predator deterrent11 December 2023
Charles reflects on his two encounters with a black panther or leopard, 21 years apart, both while caravanning and trekking in Cumbria. For the first incident Charles was in touching distance of the big cat as he entered his caravan awning and discovered it there – Charles recounts the moments he found himself closed in with a panther beside him… Word of the week: catstycam 19 November 2022
We catch up with Cumbrian investigator Sharon Larkin at the end of the Westmorland Show where Rick and Sharon were meeting witnesses and visitors to the big cat stand.Sharon explains how she follows up reports on her Facebook page, Big Cats in Cumbria. She describes several of her own encounters with large black cats and she justifies why she believes these are leopards, including the one she photographed near Gretna in 2014 as it spooked cows and consumed a rabbit. South West investigator Paul Ramsden visited the show and also chipped in, comparing Cumbria’s big cat landscape with his home base in Gloucestershire. He and Sharon recount their highlights from people’s reports at the big cat stand at the show. We are also joined by Ian, Sharon’s husband. He describes his own big cat sighting and he and Sharon reflect on the family’s experience living with the subject and owning two cats bred from servals… More show notes, photos and messages are on this link… bigcatconversations.com/refs-links/ Words of the week: savannah cats30 September 2023
For our centenary show we met with 25 contacts in a Herefordshire pub, to talk big cats, sample the local cider, and eat celebration panther cakes. We heard sighting reports from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Dorset – two of which were genuinely ‘close’ encounters. David, one of the witnesses, also described the perfect footage he’d been shown of a black leopard in Herefordshire.Mark Graves led a discussion on tracking and ‘where next?’ for investigating big cats, and we heard different views on how best to use a sum of £5,000 for getting more evidence. When we discussed big cats in our culture, Fleur reminded us of Roman finds in Britain in which the Greek god of wine and dance Dionysus is accompanied by a panther… Look out for Youtube extracts of this episode 100 to be linked on the Big Cat Conversations website and YT Channel in late August 2023. Word of the week: spoor19 August 2023
Phebe has been following-up big cat reports in different places for 30 years. She’s been trusted with local information on big cat incidents, and has witnessed a lynx in Hertfordshire and two black leopards together in SW Wales.We hear of her own cat encounters and some memorable information she’s received from friends and contacts experiencing big cats. We also discuss whether the reported cats may be staying close to the sources of their first releases, or if other suitable areas are becoming a sink for them. Words of the week: exotic animals 29 July 2023
Gareth is a reporter for local papers in Derbyshire and joins us as another journalist guest on the podcast, following Tristan in episode 94. Gareth has had a long-term interest in big cat encounters and has glimpsed one himself. He explains how big cat stories get high hit rates in the media, so local newspapers welcome news of people’s sightings. Gareth describes some key big cat events in Derbyshire, including the release of lynx at the former Riber Castle zoo, the long-running Carsington Beast reports, and a farmer finding his dogs confronting a lynx. Gareth also reflects on the time he received a hoax report and photo, and Rick refers to some recent big cat cases in Derbyshire and a TV show episode due in Summer 2023 which features Derbyshire big cat cases. See our Refs and Links page at https://bigcatconversations.com/refs-links/ for details of the May 2023 YouGuv survey on people’s belief in big cats living wild in Britain. Words of the week: media algorithm7 July 2023
In the first half we hear from Jayne – she caught sight of a black panther with several of her jogging friends one morning this year in Somerset. Other friends had previously told her of their alleged reports at the Glastonbury festival area. In the second half, Mark Graves returns after episode 95. He reflects on a recent day spent with big cat investigators in Gloucestershire, and he explains how he survived a crocodile attack during his time in South Africa. Words of the week: aposematic colouration17 June 2023
George is a retired gamekeeper in Herefordshire. He recounts his sighting of a local black panther, and many years before, a puma in a forest near Bodmin in Cornwall. George also discusses his regrets at shooting an adult black panther as well as what appeared to be a young one, in recent years in Herefordshire – local farmers were experiencing sheep kills at the time. George explains why both the shot cats matched the description of a leopard.George considers that from his experience, farmers and keepers may tolerate big cats if they avoid sheep predation. Word of the week: DNA26 May 2023
Former South African farmer & wilderness guide Mark Graves briefs us on living with leopards in South Africa, where he has guided Kruger National Park visitors and trained trackers on leopards and the Big 5. Mark takes us through some of his close observations of leopards and he explains the moments when he once had to face and retreat from an advancing lioness. Now based in Britain, Mark discusses the large cats reportedly living here, and considers how we can live alongside them. Word of the week: anthropomorphism 5 May 2023
Tristan is senior reporter at the Bristol Post newspaper where big cat stories are rare. In contrast, he routinely heard of people’s big cat incidents in his former role with the Western Daily Press. We hear highlights of the big cat accounts he reported on, and learn how he realised big cat sightings were a genuine part of the rural scene. Then one day, a large stealthy black animal arrived in his own local fields… Word of the week: clickbait14 April 2023
Steve our guest has spent half a lifetime investigating big cat reports in southern England – he takes us through key events in Oxfordshire in recent years, including the search for a puma body, the secrets of the Charlbury panther, and a big cat caught in a cage trap which then went missing. We learn about his time volunteering at a big cat sanctuary in Colorado, and hear how he links with his local police contacts. His own sightings include watching a black panther emerge with a friend, who just minutes earlier had mocked Steve’s interest in the topic. Word of the week: misidentification25 March 2023
Alex our guest has had several big cat encounters in South West England, one of which involved a black panther creeping up behind him. He reflects on these experiences in this episode. Rick and Alex also discuss the challenge of raising awareness of large predators while minimising the fear factor. We also hear about Alex’s most recent sightings in south Devon, and discuss the interesting results on his trail cameras. Word of the week: cryptic6 March 2023
A panther and cubs next to a fishing tent, gamekeepers’ attitudes to big cats, a large cat carcass by the A9, admissions of lynx releases, and recent dashcam footage from West Highlands – we hear of these and other snippets as Paul MacDonald updates us on recent big cat highlights from Scotland. We also hear some modern folklore, as The Black Beast of Bin, a poem from 1994, written following big cat sightings in the Huntly area of Aberdeenshire at the time, is sung specially for the podcast by Scottish folk singer Shona Donaldson. Words of the week: Origin stories12 February 2023
Andy and Claire explain why they are committed to tracking and learning about big cats in the Stroud area of Gloucestershire – we hear about their findings so far, from tree scratches, potential big cat calls, scat, carcasses of potential prey, and tantalising trail camera shots. Words of the week: AI poetry 24 January 2023
Louise describes three different large cat encounters in Scotland, including meeting a lynx in her local woodland in Angus. As it noticed her, she felt vulnerable and time became fixed at that heart-stopping moment.11 years later a friend and neighbour of Louise had an encounter near the same location, on the edge of town – showing that such predators can be closer than we think… Words of the week: A clowder of cats 8 January 2023
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Really enjoyed your 100th episode and looking forward to the next 100. It's fascinating to hear all the different experiences and sightings.
I really enjoy this podcast and find it fascinating. The guests all tend to be pretty credible (I've only maybe found two or three a bit dubious in almost 100 episodes) and Rick is very knowledgeable and takes a scientific approach. I saw a lynx in Britain years ago but used to be very doubtful over whether there's a breeding population here in the UK - but listening to the sheer volume of credible reports to this day, why not? it makes our countryside seem that little bit more exciting.
Excellent video footage for this episode on the website.
I really enjoy this podcast thank-you Rick ! . I'm on the fence on this topic tho ! I do believe that the people who say they have seen a big cat have seen something that they have no explanation for. it's one of those things unless it happens to you it's easy to dismiss. I've spent a lot of time in the countryside and I've not seen anything that can be described as a big cat altho one of my ponys was attacked by something, we shall say it was dogs awful attack and was so bad that she had to be PTS. I just didn't consider that it could be a cat 🤷. could well of been a cat as she was ripped to shreds on her back end. we shall never know.
What a load of crap. 'I have a picture of a big cat, only some people put a football in front of the camera' 'I saw a big cat, I know it's a big cat because I own a dog' 'there's a conspiracy between land owners so they stay quiet about big cats' 'there's evidence everywhere, and I have pictures, only we're not going to show evidence.'