Nick runs a farm in the English midlands which is now transforming to wildlife friendly woods and meadows. Amongst the farm’s wildlife are sightings and signs of big cats.

Nick recounts people’s big cat encounters in the area and he describes the suspicious prints and the potential big cat lay-up spot found on his farm.

He runs the farm in the knowledge that big cats have become part of the local wildlife, using the network of woods and the new wildlife habitats he helps to establish. He feels the cats feast on rabbits and will help keep the deer skittish, which will prevent over-browsing of the younger trees and emerging woodland.

Words of the week: Lay-up spots

19 April 2024

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 talk

26 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