The Black Panther is one of the most elusive animals in the jungle. Getting a glimpse of it is nearly impossible, and taking a photo of it is a challenge of an entirely different level. Shaaz Jung specializes in tracking down such animals. For four years, he has been taking photographs of this amazing animal, and it is no surprise that it has gone viral as soon as he shared them on Twitter.
This black panther has mesmerized Jung since the first time he saw it in the Kabini Forest in Karnataka, India. “Ever since our eyes first met, my passion became an obsession and it was my ultimate goal to shed more light on the master of darkness. Today I am extremely fortunate to be making a film on him for Nat Geo WILD as well as writing an extensive research paper.” he said.
Even the simple act of strolling in the forest, this black beauty radiates with majesty.
Watching over his kingdom.
The contrast of the leaves and the black panther is perfection.
Those majestic piercing eyes.
“We drove out at first light and watched darkness lift to reveal nothing but ambiguous shapes in the thick mist,” he recalls the one time he spotted the majestic creature padding through the forest.
“We parked ourselves under the old Banyan, where he was seen the day before. The silence was deafening and dawn was like the dead of night. No songbirds sang, no crickets hummed, yet there was an eerie sensation of being watched.
Spending years on the same track, tracking the same animals, strengthens your intuition and within minutes a ghostly figure slowly took shape on the road ahead. It drifted by us in absolute silence and was by far my most chilling experience with the black panther.”
Image credit: Instagram
