On average, a big cat sighting has been reported every day in Australia over the last two years. Now, a team of Aussie experts are out to prove that a big cat population exists in remote areas of the bush in the compelling documentary The Hunt: In Search of Australia’s Big Cats next month on Discovery.
Panthers and pumas are believed to be alive and well in the Australian bush and big cat expert Vaughan King is on a quest to prove it. The former big cat keeper at Australia Zoo has teamed up with veteran researchers John Turner and Simon Townsend to investigate recent sightings of these elusive predators. Their aim is to prove the existence of a living population of big cats in the bush, creatures whom authorities deny exist.
Their quest takes them to remote bushland in the Otways region of Victoria, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and South West Western Australia. They hear remarkable stories of close encounters, witness inexplicable livestock kills, hear terrifying animal growls in the dark, and gather evidence to be sent off for scientific testing.
The documentary features the outcomes of remote long-range camera trapping, and culminates in the nail-biting wait for the results of DNA tests which could prove the theory that big cats exist in the Australian bush once and for all. Throughout, King, Turner and Townsend are close on the trail of these elusive and terrifying creatures and at any moment may come face to face with one on a remote bush track. Their dedication to a gruelling task, and the emotional toll it takes on them, adds another dimension to this fascinating quest.
The Hunt: In Search of Australia’s Big Cats will air during Mystery Month on Discovery Channel which starts 1 May and features titles that are dedicated to unmasking the truth behind some of the world’s most enduring mysteries. The line-up includes Rob Riggle: Global Investigator, Legends of the Wild, The Curse of the Bermuda Triangle and more.
The Hunt: In Search of Australia’s Big Cats Tuesday 5 May at 9:30pm on Discovery Channel
