A wildlife photographer from India snapped these images of a rare black panther as it slept in a tall tree.
Bhargava Srivari from Hyderabad had been tracking the large black feline for two years before he finally caught sight of it in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.
The 29-year-old said that, in his some 20 years of wildlife photography expeditions, this was the first time he'd ever set his eye on a black panther.
“It was monsoon season so it was raining quite a lot when I finally saw the black panther,” Srivari said.
“I spotted a black object sleeping on a tall tree. The setting was just perfect—seeing a black leopard was already rare and to find it on top of a tall tree just added a new dimension because it showed the versatility and adaptability of the animal.”
The photographer added, “In wildlife photography, being prepared means everything. You make or lose your shots in a span of a fraction of a second.
“So despite knowing that chances are slim to find the subject I was looking for, my camera settings were kept ready just for this moment and hence I did not lose any time once I spotted the big cat.
“The images got a lot of attention on social media immediately when I first posted it and was in a way responsible for sending scores of wildlife photographers to the tiger reserve in search of the rare cat.”
