Black panther on the prowl for month trapped at Balli

Canacona: After being on the prowl for nearly a month in the vicinity of human habitation at Balli, Quepem, a two-and-a-half-year-old female black panther was finally trapped by forest officials on Friday night.
The panther was later taken to Bondla for medical examination.
The panther’s movements were first caught on CCTV camera footage by a local after domestic animals began going missing in the area, creating a sense of panic among residents.
Assistant conservator of forests (ACF), South, Minguel Fernandes, said that after the black panther was spotted on camera, forest officials were alerted by the locals, and subsequently a trap was laid nearly a month ago.
“Some days back, the animal entered the cage, but it couldn’t be trapped due to some disturbances. However, the forest staff from Quepem managed to trap the panther last night after luring it using a live chicken at the front of the cage and the bait of a dog at the rear,” said Fernandes.
Usually, after wild cats are trapped, they are released in their natural habitat. However, as black panthers are rare, officials said the animal was taken to Bondla for medical examination. Forest minister Vishwajit Rane was personally monitoring this case, Fernandes said.
RFO Quepem range Prakash Naik, along with his staff, Margao staff rescuers, and RFO Devidas Velip of Paddi range were present at the site.
Last year in May, an image of a black panther was also captured on a camera trap at Mollem. The big cats spotted in Goa are melanistic leopards.
The melanistic colour variant of a leopard or jaguar is known as black panther. Melanism is a genetic condition in which an animal overproduces melanin, which is why the presence of a black panther is considered an unusual occurrence.