Turns out, the mythical African black leopard really does exist.
Biologists shot rare footage of the sleek big cat walking majestically in Kenya — the first time the animal has been photographed in Africa since 1909, said Nick Pilfold, a global conservation scientist at the San Diego Zoo.
Pilfold said they captured the footage after months of watching and waiting. His team of biologists had placed remote cameras to track the leopard population near a conservancy area in Laikipia County last year when they heard reports of a possible black leopard sighting.
“We intensified our camera placement in the area the reports were being made,” he said Tuesday night. “Within a few months, we were rewarded with multiple observations on our cameras.”
The female leopard’s coat color is pitch black as a result of melanism, a gene mutation that results in an over-production of pigment, Pilfold said. It’s the opposite of albinism — and although the leopard’s coat appears black during the day, its rosette patterns are visible in nighttime infrared imagery.
Other sightings reported but without as much footage
While there have been reports of sightings of black leopards — also known as black panthers — the last confirmed observation with photographic evidence was in Ethiopia more than a century ago, he said.
“It is likely that black leopards have been living in Kenya all along, it is only that high quality imagery to confirm it has been missing until now,” Pilfold said.
Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper said Tuesday that its photographer, Phoebe Okall, shot an image of a black leopard in 2013 in the same region. It’s unclear whether that image was publicized at the time.
The footage shot by Pilfold’s team includes a slew of photos and video footage of the agile animal moving in darkness, its eyes glittering in the night like two shiny marbles.
While there may be reported sightings in Kenya, black leopards are still considered rare in the continent, Pilfold said.
“Melanism occurs in about 11% of leopards globally, but most of these leopards live in South East Asia,” Pilfold said. “Black leopards in Africa are extremely rare, and prior to the observations in our published paper, the last confirmed observation was 1909 in Ethiopia.”
The black leopard’s sighting was published in the African Journal of Ecology.
A longtime dream to photograph the black panther
Will Burrard-Lucas, who shot the images of the black leopard, described his longtime dream to photograph the big cat.
“For me, no animal is shrouded in more mystery, no animal more elusive, and no animal more beautiful,” he posted on his blog. “For many years, they remained the stuff of dreams and of farfetched stories told around the campfire at night. Nobody I knew had ever seen one in the wild and I never thought that I would either.”
Burrard-Lucas said he shot the images at Laikipia Wilderness Camp using a Camtraptions Camera, which focuses on wildlife photography and footage. The cameras were placed near animal trails, and water sources such as pools and natural springs. They were left on 24 hours a day in most places but were only turned on at night in public places, according to the African Journal of Ecology.
Leopards are described as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
The total extent of the animal’s population decline is still unknown, San Diego Zoo said in a statement. But several factors have sharply reduced their numbers, including hunting, habitat loss, competition for prey, and conflict with livestock and farmers.
Pilfold is part of a team from the San Diego Zoo working with local partners, including the Kenya Wildlife Service, to monitor leopard populations in the area and help preserve the species.
He marveled at the coincidence of the location of an animal that’s also called the black panther, the title of one of last year’s biggest movies.
“Coincidentally, our observations are very close to where the fantasy Marvel comic country of Wakanda is suggested to be located,” he said.
Black panthers refer broadly to any melanistic leopard, jaguars and other big cats.
It started in the local community
Ambrose Letuai, a local leopard conservationist who was part of the project, said it started after residents complained about leopards. He said the black leopards are famous for killing livestock in the region, where they refer to them as “calf killers.”
“I first heard about the black leopard when I was growing up from the stories of elders, but I didn’t believe it at all until I saw it myself,” he told CNN. “As a local, people have always been talking about the black leopard.”
Kenyan conservationist Paula Kahumbu said there have been many unconfirmed sightings of black leopards, but this is the first time one has been proven.
“I’ve spoken to a couple of safari guides who have seen black leopards in the Aberdares, one of them in the late 80s,” she said. “Despite many challenges in the sector, Kenya’s wildlife continues to awe and inspire the world. … I hope that this rare find persuades the authorities that we must balance conservation with development to protect our spectacular and mysterious species.”
Kahumbu congratulated Letuai for helping spearhead the international project. “I … hope it inspires a new generation of Kenyan wildlife scientists,” she said.