Black panther spotted again in Hemgir range

Rourkela: A rare black panther which was spotted in Sundargarh district six years ago has once more appeared, officials of the Forest department informed Thursday. DFO Pradeep Mirase of Sundargarh Forest division confirmed that pictures of the big cat have been captured by the trap cameras installed in the forest. “Last week, we found evidence of the presence of the black panther again in Garjanpahad reserve forest area under Hemgir range. It is a very good sign. It is a pointer to the fact that there is thriving biodiversity in the forest despite mining in nearby areas,” Mirase stated. “This sighting is indeed an encouraging development for all,” he added. It should be stated here that six years back trap cameras had captured images of the black panther in Hemgir range.

However, after that the animal had disappeared from sight. Wildlife enthusiasts had been left wondering about its whereabouts and they expressed concern over its safety. Sharing an image of the panther, PCCF (Wildlife) Susanta Nanda said on ‘X’, “This ghost of the forest was first captured in 2018 in Sundargarh. Heartening to inform that it was again recaptured in a trap camera recently, putting rest to all speculations that was raised by a few in the public domain.” Mirase also provided the details of the various animals found in this range. “Pictures of many other animals like honey badger, civet cat, rusty spotted cat, peacock, mongoose, bear, porcupine, barking deer, hare, wild boar, jungle hen, black cat and fox along with the black panther were captured through trap cameras,” informed the forest officer.

Hemgir forest range is known for its natural flora and fauna. The black panther has been spotted near the Dungakhol stream in the Garjanpahad reserve forest area spread over 5,947.47 hectares.