To the point: Have you heard about Saya, the black leopard from Karnataka’s Kabini forest, who has gone viral? Have you seen some of the photographs when he’s peeping out from behind a tree (adorably, if we may add) or yawning, revealing his sharp, deadly teeth? Meet Shaaz Jung, the photographer behind these stunning images.
Shaaz Jung, a 31-year-old wildlife videographer and photographer, also owns the Kabini lodge The Bison. He’s dedicated the last three years to photographing Saya, a melanistic leopard who has made his way into the Kabini forest. Jung has been going to the forest at 6 a.m. for the past three years, intending to spend the next 12 hours tracking the elusive Saya. About twice a week, the leopard would be sighted in brief glimpses.
“When people see these photos, they assume there are multiple leopards, but there is only one black panther where we are — one melanistic leopard in Nagerhole’s deep forest.” As a result, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Jung explains. Previously, black panthers had only been investigated using remote camera traps in Malaysian woods.
This is the first portfolio of a melanistic leopard, and it shows him hunting, wooing, and even fighting. “My goal was to delve deeper and figure out how he’s surviving in a jungle where he doesn’t belong,” Jung continues. Saya has been compared to Bagheera from the Jungle Book, and she appears to have won a lot of hearts online. We hope that this helps to educate people about Karnataka’s diverse flora and wildlife, as well as inspire them to protect and treasure our woods.