The forest department on Thursday rescued a melanistic leopard cub that had fallen into an open, dry well in Sindhudurg. The cub, aged around one year, is suspected to have lost its way while chasing a prey and fell into the well. The forest department officials rescued in Goveri village near Kudal town in Sindhudurg. Dr Clement Ben, the chief conservator of forests (Territorial) Kolhapur, said, “The locals informed the forest department officials about the cub, and our staff rushed there immediately. With the help of villagers, they successfully rescued this rare panther.”

The forest department officials are trying to reunite the cub with its mother, and have installed camera traps.  The sighting of melanistic leopard or black panther in this area has surprised many. While some said that this is arguably the first sighting of melanistic leopard in the area, such black panthers have been spotted in the Konkan belt a few times.