The Mystic Kabini

The Melanistic Leopard of Kabini  The kabini tourism zone has been a hostpot for watching wildlife and not just for tigers but also for leopards and especially for melanistic(black panther) ones.The black panther has been in the limelight for many years here in Kabini. Its still a mystery how, when and from where these black panthers ventured into Nagarhole. There is a strong belief that it may possibly have moved from the adjoining forests of Wayanad, Kerala or was existing in Nagarhole and was never spotted before.  But what's a Black Panther, Really? Many of us have the mistaken belief that black panthers are a separate species. This is not true, it's not a separate species, but rather a Common Leopard with a gene that produces dark pigment.  Black Panthers are usually found in dense tropical rain forests, where the penetration of sunlight is low. Their dark coloration acts as better camouflage in the low sunlight conditions of the forest floor. These cats normally hun...

The Kabini river, also known as Kapila , originates in the Wayanad district of Kerala and is formed by the confluence of the Panamaran and Manathavady rivers. It flows eastwards into karnataka and joins the Kaveri River at Tirumakudalu Narasipura. The Nagarhole National Park is situated in the Mysore and Coorg districts of Karnataka and is also known as The Rajiv Gandhi National Park. It has a total area of 644 sq.km and has two tourism zones where game viewing by tourists is permitted. On the south-western side of the park lies the Sunkadakatte Tourism zone which includes the stretch of the Kabini River.  It is this zone that tourists are familiar with and is casually reffered to as 'Kabini' by them. Safaris or game drives are organized by the resorts that are located there. Two drives per day are allowed of approximately three- hour duration, one in the morning and one in the evening, no tourism is permitted during the rest of the day.  A pack of asian dholes in the Kabini W...