Rare Black Leopard Spotted In Navegaon Nagzira Reserve – Free PDF Download

• A rare melanistic leopard, popularly called black leopard, was spotted in the Navegaon block of the Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) in the Gondia district of Maharashtra.

About Melanistic Leopard/Black Panther

• The melanistic leopards are either all-black or very dark in coloration.
• 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 gene in leopards and dominant gene in jaguars.
• In each species, a certain combination of gene stimulates the production of large amounts of the dark skin pigment melaninin the animal’s fur and skin.
• It is as shy as a normal leopard and very difficult to detect.
• Earlier this year, a wildlife photographer had captured the rare black leopard when he was on a safari at Tadoba National Park, in the Chandrapur district. Sightings of the black leopard were earlier reported in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and the Pench Tiger Reserve in the state.

Habitat:

• They are mainly found 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

Protection Status:

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
• CITES: Appendix I.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.

Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR)

• Strategically, the Tiger reserve is located at the heart of central Indian Tiger landscape which contributes almost one sixth of the total population of the country.
• It was notified as 46^th tiger reserve of India in 2013 and the 5^th tiger reserve of Maharashtra.

• It comprises the notified area of Navegaon National Park, Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Koka Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It comprises the notified area of Navegaon National Park, Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Koka Wildlife Sanctuary.
• NNTR has connectivity with the major tiger reserves in Central India like,
  • Kanhaand Pench tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh,
  • Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reservein Maharashtra,
  • Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh,
  • Indirectly with theKawal 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 sanctuaryand Brahampuri Division (Maharashtra).

It is one of the six Tiger reserve of Maharashtra

1. Melghat Tiger Reserve (1974)
2. Tadoba Tiger Reserve (1993)
3. Pench Tiger Reserve (1999)
4. Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (2007)
5. Bor Tiger Reserve (2014)

Question:

Which of the following animal is known as the ghost of the forest?

1. Asiatic Lion
2. Bengal Tiger
3. Melanistic Leopard
4. Melanistic Fox

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