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Rare majestic predator appears at butterfly viewing area in Thailand park. See it
From March to May, tourists from around the world flock to Thailand's largest national park to catch a glimpse of hundreds of species of butterfly.
The park has become a destination for casual tourists and wildlife enthusiasts alike, but on June 25, it wasn't butterflies that shocked visitors.
Around 5 p.m., images of a rare predator were taken from the 11.1-mile water checkpoint in the park, a place commonly called the butterfly viewing spot, according to a Facebook post from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
A black panther made an unexpected appearance at the site, officials said, appearing not only during the day, but in a typically busy spot.
Images were taken of the animal peeking through the forest foliage, then walking out onto a road and away from the viewer, according to the post.
Officials did not share how long the panther was in the area, or whether the images were taken by a park ranger or visitor.
Black panther sightings are becoming more common in the park, including panthers seen with cubs, according to previous reports, a testament to conservation efforts by wildlife officials, they said.
Black panthers are not a separate species, but rather a name given to melanistic leopards, found in Africa and Asia, and melanistic jaguars, found in South America, according to Britannica.
Leopards, the ones found in Thailand, are listed as a vulnerable species, meaning their numbers are dwindling but they are not yet endangered, according to the International Union on Conservation of Nature Red List.
Black panthers can range in size from 110 to 200 pounds, according to Britannica, and can have visible spots like their lighter relatives when viewed in sunlight.
While the elusive cats have become habituated to humans in Kaeng Krachan National Park, visitors are encouraged to keep a safe distance from black panthers, avoid making loud noises and never feeding the animals, officials said in the post.
Kaeng Krachan National Park is in central Thailand, on the northern end of the Thai peninsula. It is about a 115-mile drive southwest from Bangkok.
Chat GPT, an AI chatbot, was used to translate the Facebook post from the Thailand Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
