British Big Cat Weekends

This spring, we’re hosting a series of special events, with British Big Cat Conversations, dedicated to one of Britain’s most intriguing wildlife mysteries — the reports of big cats said to roam our countryside. Throughout the Easter Holidays and the following weekends, visitors will have the chance to meet a British big cat witness and an experienced investigator to learn more about the evidence, the sightings, and the ongoing research.

As part of the experience, you’ll be able to see life-size scale examples of animals often reported in Britain — including panthers, pumas and lynx — helping to visualise what witnesses may actually be encountering. We’ll also demonstrate how modern wildlife-monitoring tools, such as camera traps and thermal cameras, are used to investigate sightings. 

18th – 19th of April

Meet postgraduate researcher Leo Willis from the Royal Agricultural University, who is studying British big cats. Leo will explain how tooth marks on prey bones can reveal the presence of big cats.

Meet a British big cat witness and a big cat investigator 

-See scale examples of panthers, pumas and lynx

-Discuss camera traps & thermal cameras

-Walk the Gruffalo trail & discuss tracking big cats