Rare black leopard spotted during the ongoing tiger census in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: An extremely rare black leopard has been spotted in a forest in Odisha during the ongoing tiger census in the state, a senior official said.

The leopard's images were captured in a camera trap installed in the forest for the tiger census, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), wildlife, Susanta Nanda said.

Nanda shared on X two images of the leopard but did not disclose the location for the safety of the rare wild animal.

"Ongoing camera trap tiger census in Odisha is throwing up some exciting & unexpected presence of wild fauna in our state," Nanda posted on X.

On going camera trap tiger census in Odisha is throwing up some exciting & unexpected presence of wild fauna in our state. pic.twitter.com/zRGnh9tcIv

— Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) November 29, 2023

Earlier, a black tiger or pseudo-melanistic tiger was sighted in Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district.