I really wasn't expecting this encounter. According to the internet (the fount of all knowledge, obviously) the last sighting had been on a camera trap in May '22. However, the first thing our guide, Ash, said when we met, was that the black panther had just been seen in the park! I was immensely excited by this news and, on every drive, carefully scrutinised every twig in the hope of even the merest glimpse.
We managed this sneak preview late one evening as he moved quickly alongside the track using the bushes as cover. As he'd lost his territory, he was at perpetual risk of attack by other predators who didn't want him on their turf.