Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn Grant is a different kind of nature show about the human drama of saving animals. From a paleoanthropologist who hunts fossils in conflict zones to someone who helped save an endangered species while in prison, in season four we will hear from real-life heroes and nature advocates with widely different expertise and life experiences that led them to be champions for the natural world. Wildlife biologist and host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant has been studying wild animals i ...
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BCC EP:120 British lynx & leopards – more police memoirs
Manage episode 461478937 series 2682773
Content provided by Rick Minter. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Rick Minter or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Two retired police officers report their big cat encounters and incidents, including black leopards & lynx. We conclude the episode with comments on the January 2025 lynx release & capture saga from Paul Macdonald of Scottish Big Cat Research.
Andrew our first guest from County Durham recounts his encounter with what he believes was a black leopard, when walking his dog in 2003. Through his police activity he then learnt about similar big black cat reports nearby, and his interest in the subject grew.
Nick from Kent nearly hit a big black cat in his vehicle when driving on police duty in the back lanes of Kent, in 1994. Nick raced out of the car to pursue the animal and soon realised the folly of his actions. A colleague then had a nearby sighting, which they felt may have been the same cat, while another contact shot a lynx in error, as it was flushed from woodland when he was out shooting foxes.
16 January 2025
Word of the week: truncheon
126 episodes
ShareManage episode 461478937 series 2682773
Content provided by Rick Minter. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Rick Minter or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Two retired police officers report their big cat encounters and incidents, including black leopards & lynx. We conclude the episode with comments on the January 2025 lynx release & capture saga from Paul Macdonald of Scottish Big Cat Research.
Andrew our first guest from County Durham recounts his encounter with what he believes was a black leopard, when walking his dog in 2003. Through his police activity he then learnt about similar big black cat reports nearby, and his interest in the subject grew.
Nick from Kent nearly hit a big black cat in his vehicle when driving on police duty in the back lanes of Kent, in 1994. Nick raced out of the car to pursue the animal and soon realised the folly of his actions. A colleague then had a nearby sighting, which they felt may have been the same cat, while another contact shot a lynx in error, as it was flushed from woodland when he was out shooting foxes.
16 January 2025
Word of the week: truncheon
126 episodes
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:126 Kent Cat Fight, Surrey double take 1:18:12
1:18:12 
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedCat Fight is the new novel from author Kit Conway which centres around big cat encounters in Kent, published in the UK in May and the US in June 2025. We speak to Kit about how Big Cat Conversations helped shape her ideas for the big cat aspects of the plot. The book has already been optioned as a future TV screenplay, and Kit discusses how she weaved big cat sightings into a novel about the developing frictions across a close community in south-east England. It is a rollercoaster of a story which explores people’s switch to wild behaviour on different levels. Our second guest Gary describes some big cat incidents in Surrey, just 50 miles west of where Cat Fight is set. He himself has twice observed a black panther in a neighbouring agricultural field, viewed from the same spot in his parents’ house. Believed by Gary to be a black leopard on each occasion, the sightings were 20 years apart in 2003 and 2023. Word of the week : rosette Cat Fight book availability in UK: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/463613/cat-fight-by-conway-kit/9780857506597 Cat Fight book availability in North America: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cat-Fight/Kit-Conway/9781668066348 Copies of Cat Fight are available for UK and for North America listeners to win by emailing ‘word of the week’ suggestions – details in the podcast. Kit Conway, Cat Fight author’s website: https://www.kitconway.com/ 1st June 2025…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:125 Scottish borderlands – unspoken leopards & lynx 1:06:31
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedJohn explores the wild forests and farmland of his local Scottish borders area. It’s a sparsely populated region where black panthers and lynx are quietly discussed by some of the locals. John takes us through various lynx encounters, including two of his own, and describes his three experiences with large black cats – one seen nearby from a slow moving train, and one unnervingly close at night. John starts the episode by explaining how his military background helps his observation and tracking skills. He also discusses lynx reintroduction proposals which have been considered for his part of Britain. John is a musician and with his wife & friends created his own outro track for this edition… Eyes Burning Bright. Words of the week : orienting response 9 May 2025…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:124 Confronting a midlands panther - a five metre face-off 1:06:30
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedJohn met a “black panther” during his evening dog walks four times in 1996 in Staffordshire. On the first occasion he was confronted directly by the cat at close range. As the predator was poised, there seemed no easy way out. John explains his thoughts and the subliminal messages he received at that moment, as he reached in his pocket and unlatched his Swiss army knife… ‘Big Cat Mystery’ outro track courtesy of Lancashire band DRIVE. Words of the Week : beauty in the beast 17 April 2025…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:123 A shot in the dark – green eyes through the snow 1:17:51
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedBonus feature - British wolverines? Our first guest Darren was asked to despatch a troublesome fox in south Wales in 1998. In the snowy conditions he actually saw a puma though his gun sights – he re-lives the high emotions on the winter hillside as bright green eyeshine stared back. Rick and Darren also consider the prospects of a big cat being trapped, and they discuss an event in 2011, when the police and the Home Office verified a plaster cast as from a puma-like big cat. For our second guest we return to Exmoor Zoo, meeting owner Danny Reynolds. He briefs us on the new female black leopard, Bagheera. She is a lively three year old, who enjoys playful stalking of the visitors and keepers. Exmoor Zoo also hosts two wolverines, last known in Britain 8,000 years ago, or has this podcast found that they are back somehow? We discuss some footage which might hold the clues, with some extracted stills on the Big Cat Conversations website. Danny and Rick discuss the traits of wolverines, a big type of mustelid, both in the wild and at the zoo. Words of the week : talon & Gulo gulo 26 March 2025…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:122 The puma paradox – Australia’s roo slayers 1:35:12
1:35:12 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:35:12
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedAndrea is a podcast listener in Victoria, Australia. She didn’t expect to experience big cats on her land. But she explains how events and sightings have indicated she has visiting pumas, which seem to predate kangaroos, wallabies and rabbits. She looks after two pure dingoes, which have reacted to calls and movements of what appear to be a nearby big cat. Andrea discusses life with the dingoes, and her heightened awareness of new hidden predators in the local bushland. In the final section, British and SA tracker Mark Graves returns to discuss key issues which have cropped up in recent episodes, including the ‘clawed’ carcass, alarm calls from birds when predators are around, and why big cats’ fur can change in colder conditions. Rick describes two recent black panther-leopard reports from witnesses, and Mark explains how big cats drag their larger prey items. Words of the week : ‘upside down country’ & piloerection 3 March 2025…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:121 Cubs – from Cumbria to Devon… 1:11:47
1:11:47 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:11:47
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedWe return to Cumbria for latest news of the mother and cub black leopards, being experienced by Liz on nearby land to her property. In autumn and winter sightings Liz has noticed longer fur develop on the mother, as well as alarm calls from magpies harassing the cats. Liz and Rick discuss the challenges of getting evidence from this ongoing case. UPDATE: Between recording and then releasing this interview with Liz, she reports that her husband has now had two evening encounters with the mother. Our second guest, Neil, describes a situation as a 14 year old, when he and his dad stumbled upon what appeared to be black panther cubs being recovered from the wild in Devon in an official covert operation… Words of the week : winter coat 8 February 2025…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:120 British lynx & leopards – more police memoirs 1:28:14
1:28:14 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:28:14
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedTwo retired police officers report their big cat encounters and incidents, including black leopards & lynx. We conclude the episode with comments on the January 2025 lynx release & capture saga from Paul Macdonald of Scottish Big Cat Research. Andrew our first guest from County Durham recounts his encounter with what he believes was a black leopard, when walking his dog in 2003. Through his police activity he then learnt about similar big black cat reports nearby, and his interest in the subject grew. Nick from Kent nearly hit a big black cat in his vehicle when driving on police duty in the back lanes of Kent, in 1994. Nick raced out of the car to pursue the animal and soon realised the folly of his actions. A colleague then had a nearby sighting, which they felt may have been the same cat, while another contact shot a lynx in error, as it was flushed from woodland when he was out shooting foxes. 16 January 2025 Word of the week : truncheon…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:119 Over the hedge – big cats of Hereford & Worcestershire 1:47:36
1:47:36 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:47:36
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedOur end-of-year extended episode features Mandy from Worcestershire and Jon from neighbouring Herefordshire. Mandy explains the events which led to her setting-up a big cats Facebook group in Worcestershire, as a hotline for reports and discussion. Her own sighting was a close-up view of a black leopard type of cat, and instantly drew her to the subject. Jon watched a puma slink through his garden one night in 2003, close to the house he was renovating. His initial shock and concern turned to respect for big cats, as he and his wife experienced three different large cats in and around their remote garden until they moved in 2018. Jon kept a ‘big cat diary’ throughout that time – he takes us through the events for this episode. Word of the week : estrangement 12 December 2024…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:118 Mother & cub on the moors – son of the Exmoor Beast 59:56
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:117 The leopard, the cub & the farmyard strays – in the company of cats 1:17:59
1:17:59 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:17:59
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedLiz describes several encounters with a black leopard visiting the farmyard where she and her husband feed the farm cats. She has been watched and advanced on by the large cat and is now fully alert to its potential presence. On one occasion Liz noticed a small panther like cat dart out of cover to catch up with the big cat, and realised it was a cub rushing to its mother. Liz reports how the farm cats change behaviour due to the bigger cats’ presence, and she explains how she and her husband adapt their life, living in anticipation of their new stealthy neighbours. Words of the week : teddy bear 25 October 2024…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:116 The clawed carcass - grappling with the evidence? 1:00:47
1:00:47 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:00:47
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedCraig our guest returns after episode 72 when he re-lived his Exmoor big cat encounters in the 1980s. Now based in Herefordshire, Craig explains the big cat reports and potential activity occurring in his own village, right where he walks his dogs. He has been followed by an animal with large piercing eyeshine which alarmed his dogs, and he has recently found two fresh deer carcasses, one freshly devoured, and the other was still warm, had a severed windpipe, and showed claw marks raked down the muzzle and throat. Craig also had a close view of a puma crossing his path in the Black Mountains, near Hay on Wye, in 2023. His photos and videos of these incidents, showing his immediate reactions, can be viewed on the podcast website… https://bigcatconversations.com/refs-links/ Word of the week : kleptoparasite 4 October 2024…
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Big Cat Conversations
Our first guest Graham recounts a close encounter with a large black cat on the Isle of Skye during one of his fishing trips. We discuss how a cat like a black leopard could have arrived on Skye and how well such a cat could go unnoticed in the island’s wild terrain. For our second guest we catch up with Scotland research coordinator Paul Macdonald. Amongst recent highlights he describes two clips of footage shown to him at a recent rural show stand, and a report of a roadside puma carcass being recovered by a military crew. Thanks to Scottish folk singer Shona Donaldson for Beast o’the Bin. Word of the week : Fieldwork 12 September 2024…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:114 Wye Valley pumas – the rescued & the wild 1:26:07
1:26:07 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:26:07
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedIn this Summer edition we discuss pumas encountered in the wild on the England & Wales border in the Wye Valley, but we also visit a special sanctuary for re-homed exotic pets, also in the Wye Valley area. Our first guest Grant, explains how he and friends were advanced on by a puma when they were out lamping foxes one night. Grant describes the intense eye shine and what happened as the cat got closer… Our second guest Lindsay has experience with large cats from South Africa. Now she runs Wildside Exotic Rescue, where pumas, lynx and a serval are amongst the rescued animals cared for. She explains the challenges of looking after the cats and the other animals, and she reflects on the consequences of people owning and needing to give up their exotic pets. The pumas are sometimes fed deer, and will be involved in a special scientific experiment to help big cat studies in Britain… Visit www.wildsideexoticrescue.co.uk to learn more about Wildside and support the work of Lindsay and the team there. Words of the week : scientific controls 21 August 2024…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:113 Daybreak with the Cheshire leopards 1:13:11
1:13:11 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:13:11
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedSteve our guest trains his working gun dog, a springer spaniel every morning at dawn. We hear of four occasions when he’s encountered a large black cat in his local Cheshire countryside. For one of the sightings the animal had a pronounced limp. On the BCC website (Refs & Links, Ep 113) Steve compares his sighting to the footage of a limping large black cat filmed in Scotland last year. Steve and Rick also discuss the footage of an alleged large black cat filmed in Steve’s area of Cheshire in January 2024. The footage was shown in the media at the time and is now on the BCC website to view. Steve also recalls seeing a Scottish wildcat in Scotland and we hear about black panther and lynx reports mentioned on his fishing trips in Scotland. Word of the week : observant 27 July 2024…
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Big Cat Conversations
1 BCC EP:112 The policeman, the prints & the calling leopard 1:20:37
1:20:37 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked1:20:37
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedOur first guest Richard recounts a sudden episode of big cat reports from his time as a local police officer in Wiltshire. One of the cases involved a threatened domestic cat. In the second part we catch up with tracker and wildlife guide Mark Graves who was first on ep 95. He explains why some photographed footprints and plaster casts are evidence for big cats in Scotland and in Dorset, and he discusses a call which matches a leopard vocalisation, recorded recently in a Devon woodland. We also reflect on a recent press report of a camper experiencing a black panther advancing towards him in a Derbyshire campsite. Mark gives feedback after speaking with the witness. Finally, Mark and Rick consider how distinct the British big cats may be, tuned as they are to the UK environment. Words of the week : character release 3 July 2024…
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Similar to Big Cat Conversations
Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn Grant is a different kind of nature show about the human drama of saving animals. From a paleoanthropologist who hunts fossils in conflict zones to someone who helped save an endangered species while in prison, in season four we will hear from real-life heroes and nature advocates with widely different expertise and life experiences that led them to be champions for the natural world. Wildlife biologist and host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant has been studying wild animals i ...
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