WILL
BURRARD-LUCAS
is a British wildlife
photographer. See
more of his work at
burrard-lucas.comI decidedI was
wastingmytime.
Findingsuchan
elusiveanimalin
thisvastarea
seemedsounlikely.
S
T
April 2020 BBC Wildlife 79
I
’ve been fascinated by the black
panther since reading The Jungle
Book as a child, and meeting the
character of Bagheera – Mowgli’s
protector,” says Will. “For me, no
creature is shrouded in more mystery.”
Black panthers are in fact melanistic
leopards (and jaguars). A gene mutation
causes excess production of melanin,
darkening the fur and camouflaging the
spots. Black leopards are vanishingly
rare in Africa, more commonly found
in the jungles of Thailand, Malaysia
and India – where, two years ago, Will
captured a long-distance portrait in
the Kabini Forest. “I often thought
about going back, but my dream was to
photograph one in Africa,” he recalls.
“So, when I heard of sightings near the
Laikipia Wilderness Camp in Kenya, I
knew I had to get out there, no matter
how slim my chances.”Shadows in the night
The quest would not be easy. So
secretive is this phantom cat that some
people believe it exists only as a spirit.
Will began by retracing the footsteps
of those who had seen the feline, and
searching for tracks and signs. His
guide came across a set of prints along
a narrow game trail – but whether they
belonged to his quarry or a ‘normal’
leopard was impossible to tell.
Nonetheless, he set up his camera
traps, driving out first thing each
morning to see what had passed in the
night. Soon, he had clocked up images
of hyenas, elephants, hares and spotty
leopards, but no hero panther. He
started to have major doubts. “I decided
I was wasting my time,” he recalls.
“Finding such an elusive animal in
this vast area seemed so unlikely.”
It was lucky he didn’t give up. A few
days later, checking the last camera, Will
saw the glowing eyes of an all-black cat
staring back at him from the darkness.
“I’m still pinching myself,” he says.Ghostin
the darkness
byWILLBURRARD-LUCAS 2018
Behind
the
imageWill knew that travelling to Kenya to snap
a secretive black panther would be a huge
gamble. But fortune favours the brave.