BCC EP:130 The Lactating Leopard - bonding with a black shadow

Charlie our guest recounts 6 months of his life at the age of 9
back in 1973-74. Around his house in Ayrshire his family lived
alongside a female big black cat, seen active in fields and woods
and at one stage she was lactating. 


Charlie regularly encountered the cat during spells when he
escaped the ongoing stress at home. He describes its consistent
behaviours, including its calls and its hunting. It took rabbits
from his snares and he observed it resting in sun traps. 


This episode tells a remarkable story of a large black cat, most
likely a female leopard, out in the wild before the 1976
Dangerous Wild Animals Act. Charlie considers why the cat
tolerated him in particular, as well as his family members. 


Since recording the episode, Charlie has recalled one other
memorable account of the big cat, which was not described in the
conversation with Rick. Charlie explains it here... "One thing I
didn't mention was the night it walked on the roof of my largest
den it was fully enclosed with a door and a lift-up window and
all closed up.  It walked across the roof making the
acknowledgement snorting snuffle noise. It stayed up there
sitting or lying for a while. I then heard the soft pads on the
leaves as she jumped down into the wood..."


In terms of the origins of the cat, Charlie adds this…  “I
think it was likely a released one, possibly when she was
pregnant as it wasn't scared of people. Wary yes but not
scared.  It would happily eat rabbits etc with human scent
on, so she was possibly used to eating meat handled by humans?”


Words of the week:   gypsy warnings 


 1 September 2025