Tadoba Andhari National Park, India: A family vacation turned out surreal for an amateur wildlife photographer when he witnessed a rare spotted black panther standing 20 feet away from him.
23-year-old Abhishek Pagnis, a Pune-based engineering student, considers himself very lucky as he pictured a rare spotted black panther.
During an interview with Indianexpress, Pagnis said:
It was my first ever wildlife trip. We waited for over 2.5 hours around the area where he (the leopard) is usually spotted hoping to see him.
The picture was taken last year, but it went viral after it was shared on social media recently.
Recalling the moment, Pagnis said:
The animals around raised an alarm and started making noises. When a predator animal such as a lion or tiger is nearby, prey animals like deer and monkeys let out alarm calls to alert others. This was our cue to stop our vehicles and prepare the cameras.
The amateur photographer said that he did not expect that he would spot the extremely rare Black Panther.
He added:
He is actually a shy leopard. The ones seen in Kabini Reserve are quite bold leopards. So, there are many sightings. However, this one from Tadoba is very shy.
Pagnis is currently contemplating if he should continue wildlife photography as a hobby or pursue it professionally.