The black panthers of Karnataka

The elusive nature of melanistic leopards has inspired curiosity about their territory, lives and nature, writes Pavan Kumar H

There is an excitement among the safari drivers of the Bhadra tiger reserve. Of late, there have been sightings of a black panther cub. The cub was spotted, on many occasions, casually jumping around with its mother and two siblings. In the last month, tourists and safari operators have sighted the leopard family on the banks of a canal, at the backwater of Bhadra for a total of six times.  

Sighting a leopard in the wild is a matter of luck, given their elusive nature. Spotting a black panther, and that too a cub just three to four months old, is a matter of stars aligning, says Manju, a safari vehicle driver at the tiger reserve.

“We had not even entered the safari zone in Lakkavalli range that morning, when we saw movement on the banks of the canal. A closer look showed three tiny leopards joyfully playing, and one of them was a black panther,” says Manju, one of the first to sight the family. He recounts how he heard forest officials saying that Bhadra forest has three black panthers, but that was the first time he had sighted one live. 

Sanjay Gubbi, a wildlife conservation biologist who has conducted extensive research on leopards, explains that black panthers are not a separate species. They are, rather, leopards (Panthera pardus) exhibiting an excess of dark pigmentation in their skin and fur — a condition known as melanism. Despite their dark appearance, black leopards retain the characteristic rosette patterns, which become visible when light strikes their coat at an angle.

Melanism

Melanism is not unique to leopards; it has been recorded in at least 14 of the 38 wild cat species globally. In addition to India, black leopards occur in parts of Malaysia, southern Thailand and Java in Indonesia. In Africa, they have been documented in Kenya and South Africa.

Scientists say that black panthers are born due to recessive alleles in the leopard. The genetic condition causes an excess of melanin in their fur and skin.

Manju knows that if the black panther cub is sighted regularly in the safari zone, it could result in increased revenue from travellers for the department, just like its distant relative — the legendary Saaya did for Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

Saaya by Yashas Narayan

Karnataka, especially the evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest patches of Uttara Kannada (predominantly in Kali Tiger Reserve) and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi district, is said to have one of the highest densities of black panthers in India. While there is no official data on the total number of black panthers in the wild, a study conducted by officials in the Kali Tiger Reserve says that at least 20% of all the leopards that were captured in the camera traps, between 2020 and 2022, were black panthers. The Kali Tiger Reserve is said to have more than 200 leopards, one of the highest densities of leopards in India.  

In spite of housing such a high density of black panthers, sightings of them are very rare. In the Kali reserve, tourists have sighted melanistic leopards a few times. Kali, a female black panther cub, along with her leopard sibling, had taken the internet by storm after naturalist Vishnumurthy Shanbhag posted a photo of them perched on a branch a few years ago.

Kali reserve 

Kali is rumoured to have vanished from the safari zone. However, Rahul Bavaji, a Dandeli-based wildlife activist, says she was last sighted three months ago. “Over the last few years, I have sighted more than 15 black panthers in different locations and have also rescued them from human habitats,” Bavaji says. 

Of all the black panthers reported in the protected areas and safari zones of Karnataka, Saaya, the melanistic leopard, is probably the highest photographed and documented in the wild.

Saaya a black panther at a lake in Kabini. Photo by Yashas Narayan

Between 2015 and 2022, Saaya was frequently sighted in his territory in Kabini. During this period, all the rooms in lodges and hotels would be booked months in advance.

Shaaz Jung, who has documented the life and behaviour of Saaya for National Geographic Channel, recounts how Saaya burst onto the scene in 2015. “This was the first time that a black panther was sighted in the safari zone of Nagarahole’s deciduous forests. Though he was initially shy, over the years, he emerged as one of the fiercest and strongest males in the region. Left battered and scarred from many fights, Saaya continued to defend his territory for a long time,” he says. 

However, for the last few months, Saaya has not been sighted by tourists. Shaaz hopes he is alive and well, but fears that a beautiful chapter of this individual might be over, as leopards in the wild usually survive for 12 to 14 years. Saaya was probably 13 when he was last sighted.

Saaya from Kabini by Arun S K 

Experts say Saaya’s rule of more than eight years is extraordinary, given his disadvantage of being a melanistic leopard in forests such as Nagarahole. “In an evergreen forest, where hardly any light hits the ground due to a thick canopy, the black skin is an advantage. However, in deciduous forests and open grasslands, it is counter-productive as the colour takes away the element of surprise that an ambush predator would bank on,” says Harsha V C, former director of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

Saaya and Cleopatra a common leopard at Kabini. Photo by Shaaz Jung

However, there is hope, as forest officials have been regularly sighting two more black panthers, one female and a male, in the Nagarahole range of the tiger reserve. They could be Saaya’s progeny. 

Kali a black panther cub from ... ve by Vishnumurthy Shanbagh.JPG

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Though he was initially shy over the years Saaya emerged as one of the fiercest and strongest males in the region. Left battered and scarred from many fights he continued to defend his territory for a long time.

--Shaaz Jung Wildlife photographer