From lions and tigers to snow leopards and panthers, “big cats” are defined by those who study them as wild cats with the ability to roar. Wildlife biologist Boone Smith has wrangled an impressive number of them. He has more than 20 years experience wrangling, collaring and marking hundreds of cougars, pumas and other big cats across North and South America. He’s a fourth-generation tracker and houndsman, and he has used his expertise to gather data on big cats, their behavior and their landscape to help scientists with conservation studies. That includes his time spent nose-to-nose with South African lions in the wild – protected by a mere inch of acrylic and the confines of a small cage built specifically to study them.
Boone Smith’s work is being featured on “Big Cat Week” this week on Nat Geo WILD. WAMC’s Jessica Bloustein Marshall recently spoke with him about what it’s like to get up close and personal with some of the earth’s most intimidating predators.
