Leopard Sightings at Kanha

Though famous for tigers and Hard Ground Barasingha Kanha is full of surprises. The leopard beleaguered cousin of the tiger is an elusive and nocturnal species at Kanha National Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

In my many many visits to this tiger reserve, I have been fortunate enough to see the leopard only two times. As a result, I had given up trekking this shy cat. The leopards are strictly nocturnal and shy by habit in Kanha as a result of stiff competition with the tiger.

The confrontation between the tiger and the leopard is fatal with the latter being at the receiving end. Hence the animal is forced to space its movement carefully in order to avoid the big cousin. But the leopard does move in the day at times and is seen by the lucky ones on a tiger safari in the park.

Recent sightings of leopards at Kanha have been surprisingly frequent thanks to effective conservation measures.

The leopard population in Kanha is on the upward swing which has resulted in greater sightings. This has come as a boon to wildlife photographers as the leopard photos in this blog show. These images are the work of wildlife enthusiast and photographer Mr. Kamaljeet Singh Hora. He is well known to me and often sends his wonderful wildlife photos for my blogs.

The leopard has been frequently seen and photographed at Link No. 9 in the core area of the park. Many delightful sightings have taken place recently.

If the future augurs well Kanha tiger reserve will be popular not only for tiger safari but for leopard safari as well. A lot to cheer about.