An extremely rare black leopard was caught on camera in South Africa, making it a very rare sighting.
The video, which was captured by a member of the public, was caught on February 24, 2020, in the Gauteng Province.
The video of the rare sighting was later shared with the Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation.
The foundation posted the video on their Facebook page and explained just how elusive the species tend to be.
The Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation released a statement about the incident, where they said, “It’s the stuff that urban legends and folklore get built around. A phantom, an illusion, a shadow so rare that most people believe they don’t actually exist.”
They added, “Fewer than 35 sightings of wild black leopards have ever been scientifically documented in South Africa in over half a century; and clear pictures or video evidence are virtually non-existent – most people having spotted these elusive phantoms crossing a road or disappearing into the bush without the chance to take a picture.”
The leopard, which is also known as the black panther, has a dark color, which it gets from melanism, which is the opposite of albinism.
Albinism causes whiteness due to a lack of pigmentation, the genetic variation melanism results in an excess of dark pigmentation.
Black panthers are not completely black, they have markings that are hidden in their glossy black coats.
After the video was caught, the Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation said they are trying to locate the creature so they can collar it.
They will also try to relocate the black panther to a less heavily populated location.
As of writing this article, the cat had not been seen.
The Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation said, “After almost a week of monitoring the area with camera traps, there has been no sighting or pictures of the animal.”
They added, “We are hopeful that if it was indeed a leopard, it has returned to a less populated area in the wild. We did however need to attempt to verify it for the sake of the animal’s safety.”
They continued, “No sighting since, is a positive outcome.”
Some good news for all the animal lovers out there.