February 14, 2025

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, a rare Melanistic Leopard (commonly known as Black Panther) has been recorded in Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) of Maharashtra.

About:

  • Leopards (Panthera Pardus)are either light colored (pale yellow to deep gold or tawny) with black rosettes or with black fur.
  • The melanistic leopards, which are either all-black or very dark in coloration, are known as black panthers. It is a color variant of spotted Indian leopards, reported from densely forested areas of south India

Habitat:

  • They are mainly in Southwestern China, Burma, Nepal, Southern India, Indonesia, and the southern part of Malaysia.
  • In India they can be spotted in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra etc.

Threats:

  • Habitat loss.
  • Collision with vehicles.
  • Human encroachment.

Protection Status:

  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
  • CITES: Appendix I.
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
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