DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — This black panther looks just like the character “Bagheera” from the animated movie “The Jungle Book.”
The owner of the images, Indian wildlife photographer Chas Jung, grew up in the jungle and was fascinated by black tigers from the moment he saw one.
Documenting the black panther quickly became a sought-after goal for Yung to shed light on the mysterious animal.
Chasing his dream, the Indian wildlife photographer devoted the next five years to exploring the forests of Kabini in Karnataka, India, and came back with some beautiful shots of these rare animals.
Jung told CNN in Arabic that black panther is a term for a large animal with black fur, which results from a melanistic condition, pointing out that this type of animal is so rare that it is a difficult task to document.
As a naturalist, big cat expert and wildlife photographer, Jung found his fortune in 2015 living in a forest that turned out to be home to the black leopard. “It gave me a rare opportunity to study the black leopard at Nagerhole Tiger Park in South India. ” he said.
An Indian wildlife photographer wanted to do something no one had ever done before: track and tell one’s story about black tigers.
The Indian wildlife photographer explained that he devoted the next five years to this and created a strong portfolio of images that he used to make a presentation for the “National Geographic” channel, later hinting that he became a director of photography for a film. “The Real Black Panther” on the “National Geographic” Channel. , which took three years to produce.
The biggest challenge was to tell the story of the black panther over the years without taking pictures and videos.
There was only one black tiger in this dense forest of over 700 square kilometers and it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Most days the black leopard outsmarted the photographer, the Indian wildlife photographer explained that the beauty of wildlife lies in its unpredictability.
In 2018, for example, Jung went 81 days without seeing a black panther, and on the 82nd day, on a foggy morning, he emerged from a jungle hideout with a deer in its mouth.
It was Jung’s favorite moment, as it was the first time a wild black panther was documented with its prey.
“Nature writes its own script, and there is nothing we can do to control it,” Jung said. “The challenges are enormous, but the rewards are even greater.”
The Indian wildlife photographer has found social media platforms a powerful tool to expose his work to millions of people around the world. “I have the ability to show these images of the panther to a larger community, which is incredibly helpful in spreading awareness,” he said. .
From Jung’s point of view, there is something wonderful about this animal, because it reminds us of the character “Bagheera” from the animated film “The Jungle Book”, which forms a large part of many people’s childhoods, and is considered an unparalleled mystery.
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