Team Herald
sanguem: Elated over the sighting of the Black Panther at Pattiem within the precincts of Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, RFO Bipin Phaldessai said for the first time in the last five years that wild cat was caught on camera in the sanctuary.
The sighting of the Black Panther has been the talk of the town as pictures of the wild cat at Pattiem went viral on social media.
RFO Phaldessai attached to the Netravali Life Sanctuary said that the Black Panther was otherwise regularly cited by the department employees during their rounds to the forest areas. However, for the first time the Black Panther was caught on camera in the last five years
Appreciating the efforts and support from DCF Anisha Kalkoor, Phaldessai said the department had recently constructed the pond by filling it with water from around 40 tankers, as most water bodies in the forest have dried up.
The Black Panther was caught on the camera installed at the pond and the department could manage the lone picture as the camera was set for just one picture for every five seconds. The wild cat could have just passed by the camera when the image got clicked, Phaldessai said.
Meanwhile, sources informed that Black Panthers are just one species of a leopard who are born of recessive gene mutation and surplus of black pigment melanin.
In leopards, the mutation is recessive and some spotted leopards can produce black cats, informed sources.
Incidentally, Black Panthers are more temperamental (nervous or vicious) than their spotted counterparts.
He also added that it is time for PM to roll out an action plan as India is on the verge of entering third stage of COVID-19, which is going to be very dangerous.
