A wild melanistic leopard sometimes referred to as “black panther”, has been spotted in Kenya for the first time in 100 years.
The super-rare type of leopard was captured in the wilderness of Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia County by British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas.
“The biggest challenge in this project was knowing where to put my camera traps. When I heard that a black leopard had been seen up at Laikipia Wilderness Camp in Kenya my ears pricked up and I contacted the owners Steve and Annabelle Carey to find out more,” Will says in his blog post.
The young female was spotted moving alongside a larger, normally colored leopard, believed to be her mother.
The opposite of albinism (melanism) is the result of a gene that causes a surplus of pigment in the skin or hair of an animal thus making it appear black.
The latest capture becomes the first scientific documentation of such a creature in Africa in a century.
Nick Pilfold, a Kenyan-based biologist, says it’s curious that the fictional Kingdom of Wakanda, home of the superhero Black Panther, is located in East Africa, fairly close to Kenya.
“It’s a unique coincidence,” says Pilfold.
“The only place where we have black leopards is where this place in the Marvel Universe appears to exist.”
I hope our government will…
I hope our government will step up and try to protect the black panther coz within months, she will be snuggled out of Kenya due to its high demand and rarerity. We need to conserve our resources.
Wow! Black Panther and…
Wow! Black Panther and Lupita! Kenya is blessed! 44th President? If you know… Uniqueness starts somewhere in that part of the world. Thanks be to God.
Omg Kenya needs to protect…
Omg Kenya needs to protect this gem at all cost! This is a National treasure and they should not even let Mzungu near it , they will ship it out and paint a normal leopard black and pretend it is still the real black Panther! I have zero trust on Mzungu or Chinese Kabsaaa… @XG I’m right there with you on this
This must be fake news! The…
This must be fake news! The animals are rare but are occasionally spotted by local people in the area…or does it only become a discovery once a white man spots one? See this:https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10216589729749018&id=1032497770
Very good question!
Very good question!
Africa specifically Kenya…
Africa specifically Kenya continuous to amaze the world with it’s unique animal kingdom . For the love of the will let pictures roll on
If at all they are not…
If at all they are not rumours or fake stories by the white man, It’s an opportunity our mother country Kenya should use to generate income to reduce its debts and benefit her citizens. And how I would like to urge the responsible office to step on this matter seriously and protect these animals. Otherwise it won’t please anyone to hear that the animals have been ferried to diaspora for research or such.
Remember the same mzungus left the sense that our products are inferior, substandard and unsatisfying. But I think the Panthers are worth satisfying. (This is my opinion)
As well let’s learn as Kenyans that we have resources only that no one is interested in doing a research to discover and use them. Of which I request the government to intervene and invest to use our resources. Thank you!
God has blessed us with…
God has blessed us with plenty of resources but our character pollutes everything good about them! The Chingo man will bribe our authorities to capture the poor animal & kill it in order to sell it’s body parts back to his native land!There’s really nothing to be proud of in this country!