During one of the visits to Kali Tiger Reserve, my mission was to study the bio-diversity in this forest and of course a dream to spot a Black Panther. They are mostly mistaken to be a different species.
Melanistic leopards are commonly called Black Panthers. This term also applies to melanistic Jaguars. Leopard is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because it is declining in large parts of its range due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and hunting for trade.
Black panthers are found in the dense tropical rain forest where the sunlight is low. The dark coloration acts as better camouflage in low sunlight conditions of the forest floor. These cats normally hunt on chital, black-naped hare, langurs, mouse deer.
Close examination of the colour of the black panthers will show that the typical markings known as rosettes or spots are still present, but are hidden by the excess black pigment, giving an effect similar to that of printed silk. The colour variant (Melanistic leopards) occur mainly due to recessive allele, this means heritable characteristics are controlled by genes which are expressed in offspring only when inherited from both parents.
We covered a large area around KTR; we even visited the Gund range supposedly known for good density of black panthers. But after having met the ranger concerned, I almost gave up on seeing this beauty. We decided to drive back to Dandeli and within 15 minutes of the drive into the park, a sub adult Black Panther was hidden behind a large tree trunk. All I could see was part of her body and her long tail.
The most experienced naturalists were excited but we maintained a good distance between us and the cat. It was amazing to see this beauty peeping out of the tree trunk and that was my first shot of a black panther.
Her eyes were glittering in the dim light. The black fur shone and the innocent look in her eyes brought tears in most of us. Such can be the impact of the first sighting of this cat, be it a tiger or leopard.
After a couple of minutes she disappeared into the dense woods. The time was almost 6 pm and we decided to head back towards the exit.