Operation Night Cat begins with a backyard tip-off and ends in a place nobody expected.
The new three-part investigative true crime series from New Hampshire radio service, NHPR and OUTSIDE/IN opens with a New Hampshire Fish and Game warden following a lead that uncovers one of the state’s biggest modern poaching cases.
However, the story quickly veers into territory far darker as the trail leads behind the brick walls of New Hampshire’s State Prison for Men.
Host Nate Hegyi has spent the past year piecing together how a routine wildlife investigation turned into a probe of alleged abuses of power that reached far beyond hunting grounds.
Across its three episodes, Operation Night Cat introduces listeners to digital trophy rooms, secretive competitions and the individuals at the centre of a poaching ring that operated in plain sight.
Hegyi and the investigative team unravel the identities and motives of those involved, revealing how a tangle of ego, competition and cruelty spiralled into a case that forced officials to reassess the limits of oversight.
As the team digs deeper, the investigation arrives at unexpected allegations inside the state prison system, widening the scope from illegal hunting to a broader examination of violence and authority.
The series is produced in collaboration with NHPR’s award-winning investigative unit Document. Their involvement signals the weight and seriousness behind Operation Night Cat, which not only tells a story but expands the conversation about the ways power can be misused in environments that often escape scrutiny.
Hegyi said the team sought to understand how a seemingly niche crime could open the door to a wider cultural story.
“What we found is a familiar tale in a new setting, one that forces us to look at empathy, accountability and the systems that fail to protect both people and wildlife,” he said in the run-up to the release.
The result is a series that moves from the quiet woods of New Hampshire to the high-security hallways of the state prison, linking the two through a narrative of hidden harm and overlooked victims.
Operation Night Cat releases today, 20 November, on its own dedicated feed following its initial run on OUTSIDE/IN and Document.
