where to go if hoping to see black leopards?

hi... first i guess i should say i'm not currently planning a trip to india, or anywhere - that's just not possible right now or any time in the near future, unfortunately! but i am very curious. i hope to visit for many reasons - a lot of them having to do with wildlife. one of the animals i would most love to observe is the leopard - particularly a black leopard. i know that they're rare, but have been occasionaly found in india - there's a video of a recent sighting on youtube. so i'm wondering - in which part of india would i be most likely to see one????? thanks, ~krikit

Leopards are super adaptable so you will see them through out India. sometimes as close as "inside" Bombay. For pseudo-melanistic leopard (they are not really black), I think Anshi/Dandeli, Madumalai,Anamalai wildlife sanctuary would be good places to look for one. I must say that I have not seen one myself but have heard of these places during various trips.

Cheers,
Kartik

Hello
The youtube video that you are talking about is from the forests of south india. That video is a result of years of dedicated work by a researcher (let him remain unnamed for the moment).
During my travels to wildlife reserves all over the country, I have myself inquired about the presence of wild black leopards and have found quite a few incidences of sightings. It has not been physically possible for me to go and check all these reports but I am monitoring 2-3 areas in central india from where I have got a few reports. I will be glad to share what I have known via private message with you or anybody who's interested to search for them.

Let me tell you that the search will not be easy and will require lots of patience and dedicated wildlifing.

regards,
Dr. A Ghosh

thank you so much, Kartik and Dr. Ghosh, for your helpful replies.
~krikit

oh and yes Dr. Ghosh, i would love to read more about your findings, so feel free to send me a message.

Last Year's Sanctuary Asia Wildlife photography magazine had a winning entry of Black Leopard along with regular one. The photo was taken in a South India jungle but the exact location was kept secret to avoid people crowding there. I need to check this your tube video.

Ronak.

any link to this amazing picture??
Also i am from the south and we heard of black panthers in the south often in the old days about 30 years ago. Recently i am not in touch.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2011/01/21/images/2011012151100803.jpg

That's the picture. Thanks.

Ronak.

hi ronak,
this is the video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UudWZEZdmA

Saw the video. thanks for the link.

Dandeli and its surrounding forests are a good place to spot the rare melanistic leopard. Though rare, there is a chance to spot it there.