Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)

[Pckts]

Shaaz Jung Photography

Leopards of Kabini
Scarface shaped my destiny, Cleopatra and her first born showed me the importance of family and unity, it was Torn Ears who taught me never to back down and Monk’s endless journey that allowed me to transcend time. These cats were more than just animals and were more human than most people, each with strong individual characteristics that helped shape mine. They are the leopards of Kabini and their lives will forever hold the most important chapter in my book of life.
Scarface was where the journey began. Easily the heartthrob of Kabini, he earned him name after he took over the territory, close to a decade ago, from the mighty Pardus. Their gruesome fight was the first real encounter i’ve seen between two big males. The following day, Scarface emerged with an enormous gash across his face, a scar that would give him one of the most powerful identities. This backwater beauty makes it look easy. A true King.
Torn Ears swept into our lives on an eerie December evening like a cold winters breeze. Like many wondering males, we didn’t expect much from him but it’s safe to say we have never been more wrong. Unlike most young males, Torn Ears was far from good-looking due to his aggressive nature and eagerness to fight which always left him short of a full ear. On his arrival, he lost half his right ear and a quarter of his left in a nasty battle with the Bisalawadi male. His warrior ways led to him being one of the most most dominant and successful males the area has seen. Many confuse him to be the temple male, and though he seen more often in and around the temple area, there can only be one temple male.
Meet Monk, the original temple male. He is undoubtedly the oldest and most precious. The first recorded picture of monk was in 2003 where he looked no more than a year old. Having lost most of his canines, Monk is often seen shredding his meat and swallowing it whole. A difficult leopard to see, Monk’s elusive nature fools many into believing he doesn’t exist anymore. Fortunately we caught a glimpse of him a couple of months ago sitting at the base of the temple. With Torn Ears often seen marking his territory on the temple, Monk refuses to leave but prefers not to get into a fight. Until he is no longer seen for at least a year or more, he will always be my original temple male and with almost 15 years of owning the temple, he deserves to be called that till kingdom come.
Pardus defines the man animal conflict with his remarkable transition of being a forest leopard to one that now holds most of his territory in the villages that border the backwaters. Commonly seen between 2006 and 2009 in the backwater area and on main roads that cut through the forest, his fight with Scarface, left him with a permanently injured left eye and pushed him over the fence. With easy livestock for prey, Pardus is now often seen around the sugarcane fields at night. He is easily the largest leopard i have ever seen and my last sighting of him was a few months ago on our fields where he was seen eating a dog.
My first sighting of Kate was in 2009. I was fortunate to grab a picture of her with my sisters point and shoot camera. Little did i know she would grow to mother many of the females (Nallah and Marble) we now see in the tourism zone. Being the Sunkadakatte female for over 8 years now, we thought ‘Katte’ which then became ‘Kate’ would suit her best. She is the largest female i’ve seen and is often mistaken for a male.
Marble was only three months old when we first saw her with Kate. Her enourrmass eyes, like two marbles, were emerald green and occupied most of her face. She is one of the more commonly seen females in the park and now mothers two cubs.
Boor, daughter of the late Moonface, is probably the oldest leopardesses in the area. Her territory is small and spans the Udboor area, hence the name Boor. Sightings of Boor have increased over the last few years as we were given access to the MM road which cut through her territory. The surge in vehicles forced her to adapt and become bolder, which in turn allowed us to spend more time with her.
Vader, the new male thats taken over the Kymara, Bisalwadi and Barreballe territory, reminds us of a young version of Torn Ears. From the fringes, he pushed the famous Black Panther deeper into the tourism zone. His invasive nature and eagerness to invade territories has seen him hold onto a precious patch of forest that’s home to the largest waterbody. Keep an eye out for this feisty fellow with an extremely round face and a prominent ’S’ on his forehead.
Last but not least, my most favourite and most beautiful. Cleopatra has to be the queen of Kabini. Scarface and her will always be the pioneers as their bold characters gave many a chance to enjoy a leopard like never before. This leopardess of life has given birth to many litters (Alex, A2P, Frodo, Hook and more). She soon became the symbol of life and love as she nurtured each and every one of her cubs to adulthood. Every now and then one of them return to greet her and when they do i can’t help but get teary eyed. her families taught me the meaning of life and how to love.
For those who have read this far, i will be publishing a book soon with many short stories and pictures of moments in the wild (some mentioned above). As for these leopards; these are not their official names. I have personally given them these names, based on their characteristics, territory, markings and our experiences with them. Please feel free to use these names or call them whatever you want.

*This image is copyright of its original author

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