Rare black leopard spotted in Pench Tiger Reserve

In what is being termed as the biggest day for Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh – also known as Mowgli land - a tour operator spotted a black leopard while on a safari.

A video of the same has gone viral on social networking sites and wildlife lovers are calling this extremely rare sighting as 'Bagheera's return to Mowgli land.' The around 30-second video taken by a tourists shows two leopards walking by, along with a third leopard which appears to be fully black.

While clear pictures were not taken, there is some debate about the fact whether it's a complete or partial melanistic leopard. Forest Department officials have increased patrolling in the area and camera traps will also be installed to get more details about the elusive cat.

Speaking to mid-day, wildlife photographer Sarosh Lodhi, who has frequently photographed tigers and wildlife species in Central India, said, "Sighting of a melanistic leopard in Pench, Madhya Pradesh, is very good news and I am sure this will help in increasing tourism in the park. People who were travelling to Kabini in Karnataka to spot melanistic leopards will now have the option of coming to Pench. To the best of my knowledge, there have not been any photographic records of melanistic leopards from this landscape. Whatever people have heard or read about the Bagheera of Pench is from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. The sighting of this cat in the buffer zone of Pench also clears the myth that one can spot black leopards only in the forests of the western ghats or in dense jungles. There have always been rumours of the presence of black leopards around parks but no concrete evidence."

What are black panthers?

Melanistic leopards are commonly called black panthers or black leopards. They are found in the forests of the Western Ghats and north-east India and are black due to the presence of excess melanin in their bodies. The colour of their fur is a mixture of blue, black, grey, and purple.

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