A melanistic leopard, mainly found in the forests of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh in India, was spotted near Kurseong on Thursday.

“A melanistic leopard was sighted near Kurseong. The animal was spotted somewhere in the Bagora range of the Kurseong forest division this morning. The video footage of the animal suggests it is in good health,” said Devesh Pandey, the Kurseong divisional forest officer.

Sources in the forest department have said the melanistic leopard is a vulnerable species according to the red data book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that categorises the population status of various animals.

The melanistic leopard is reclusive and mainly found in the forests of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh in India. It has also been found in the upper reaches of the Darjeeling and the Kalimpong hills.

Pandey said the animal is majestic because of its jet-black appearance. As the same species was spotted in the adjacent areas of the hill town earlier, it appears that the animal has a good prey base in the locality.

Earlier, people living in the St Mary’s and Giddey Pahar areas, which are on the outskirts of Kurseong, had sighted the melanistic leopard. These areas, which are in the Bagora forest range, are located at a height of 6,000 feet from the sea level.

The area is around 50km from Siliguri and is fast emerging as a hotspot for tourists because of the idyllic landscape of mountains, forests and tea estates.

“Some homestay accommodations have come up at these places. We are conducting awareness drives among local people to ensure that the animal is not disturbed and its prey base remains unaffected,” said a forester.

Earlier, the melanistic leopard was found in the ranges of the Singalila National Park, situated at a height of nearly 12,000 feet in the Darjeeling district. “We will work together with local people for the conservation of the animal. We need to find out whether there are more melanistic leopards in the area,” said a source in the department.