Ewen McRae
A new podcast investigating big cat sightings across Australia has turned its attention to Bacchus Marsh.
The Missing Panther podcast has collected hundreds of interviews from across Australia, but particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, and host Ben Beed has turned his attention to Melbourne’s west.
Mr Beed, who is based in Tweed Heads in NSW, said at this stage he had heard a number of rumours of sightings around Bacchus Marsh, and was hoping to get some confirmation from locals.
“I don’t like to ignore rumours, I like to follow up on them and see if there’s anything in them,” Mr Beed said.
“I’ve heard a few things about the closure of the old lion park and what happened to the animals that were there, as well as other stories around the area, so basically I’d just like to talk to anyone who might have some information.
“These sightings have been happening for years.”
Mr Beed said the topic of big cat sightings had been a fascination of his for a number of years, and the response to his podcast had been uplifting.
“When I was 13 I found some cubs up a tree that didn’t really match with any native wildlife, and the nearby vet couldn’t identify either,” he said.
“So since then I’ve had an interest in it, and after poking around and talking to people there’s hundreds of claims of seeing a big cat or a panther, so too many to just be a coincidence.
“People seem to cling to this story and have a passion for it, and that’s both skeptics and believers, so it’s an interesting debate.”
