Elusive Black Panther Spotted In Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve
The black panther was spotted on March 19, in Pench after a long gap. Forest officials in the Madhya Pradesh side of the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) were recently treated to a rare sight.
Forest officials in the Madhya Pradesh side of the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) were recently treated to a rare sight - the highly elusive black panther.
According to Officials, the black panther was spotted on March 19, in Pench after a long gap.
Pench Tiger Reserve
Spotted after a long gap
"Exciting News from Pench Tiger Reserve!! Today, after a long wait, the mythical black panther graced us with its presence; refreshing our memories of Bagheera from the Jungle Book and reinvigorating the bond we share with our environment! Witnessing nature's beauty in its purest form is truly awe-inspiring," the Pench Tiger Reserve said in a social media post.
Only third sighting since 2020
The presence of black panther has been documented in Pench has been well established. But sightings of the elusive big cat have been extremely rare.
In fact, since 2020 this is only the third time the black panther has been spotted in Pench. The previous sighting was in August 2022. In July 2020 a black panther and its cub was seen in Pench.
#BlackPanther Pench Forever
¡ª Pench Tiger Reserve (@PenchMP) August 20, 2022
All across the world usually it takes months, sometimes even years to sight a rare animal, however in #Pench one can sight the wonders of natural world much more frequently.@moefcc@minforestmp @MPTourism#MadhyaPradesh #Tourism #JansamparkMP pic.twitter.com/XK9ZpPZehM
What are black panthers
It should be noted that black panthers are not a different species of animal. Black panthers refer to leopards and jaguars that are born black due to a genetic mutation.
They have high levels of the pigment melanin which determines how dark the animals are.
Due to high levels of melanin, some leopards appear darker than others giving them a distinctive look. The additional dark coularation of their skin makes black panthers extremely difficult to spot in the wild, earning them the title "the ghost of the forest."
Though they are extremely rare, black panthers have been spotted in other forests in India including in Karnataka's Kabini forest.
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Pench Tiger Reserve
The Pench Tiger Reserve is the only protected area in India that is spread across two states - Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh was also the setting for Rudyard Kipling's iconic 'The Jungle Book'.
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