Black Panther Spotted in Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve

• 07 Jul 2021

Why in News

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

Key Points

• Melanistic Leopard/Black Panther:
  
  • 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.
    • Black coat coloration is attributed to the expression of recessive alleles in leopards and dominant alleles in jaguars. In each species, a certain combination of alleles stimulates the production of large amounts of the dark pigment melanin (Melanism) in the animal’s fur and skin.
      
      • The appearance of a black coat may be influenced by other factors, such as the angle of incident light and the animal’s life stage.
    • It is as shy as a normal leopard and very difficult to detect.
  • 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.
    • Diseases.
    • Human encroachment.
    • Poaching.
  • Protection Status:
    
    • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
    • CITES: Appendix I.
    • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
• Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve:
  
  • About:
    
    • It is situated in Gondia and Bhandara districts of Maharashtra.
    • Strategically, the Tiger Reserve is located in the heart of central Indian Tiger landscape which contributes almost one sixth of the total tiger population of the country.
  • Formation:
    
    • It was designated as the 46^th Tiger Reserve of India in December 2013.
    • It comprises the notified area of Navegaon National Park, Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Koka Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Connectivity:
    
    • NNTR has connectivity with the major tiger reserves in Central India like,
      
      • Kanha and Pench tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh,
      • Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve in Maharashtra,
      • Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh,
      • Indirectly with the Kawal and Nagarjuna Sagar in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and, Achanakmar Tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh.
    • It is also connected to important tiger bearing areas like Umred-Karhandla sanctuary and Brahampuri Division (Maharashtra).
  • Flora:
    
    • The major forest type is "Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest".
    • Few thorny plants are also found and Bamboo occurs in abundance.
  • Fauna:
    
    • Carnivores such as leopards and smaller carnivores like wild dogs, wolf jackals, jungle cats and also the good population of sloth bears are seen.
    • Herbivore includes Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Chousingha, Barking deer, Wild pig, Indian gaur and Mouse deer.
    • More than 300 species of birds have been reported from the area.
  • Other Protected Areas in Maharashtra:
    
    • Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
    • Melghat Tiger reserve.
    • Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary.
    • Karnala Bird Sanctuary.
    • Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
    • Pench National Park.

Source: IE