Shaaz Jung, A Man Behind Viral Black Panther ‘Saya’ Photos; Check Out His Amazing Photos

Last week, the photos of a rare Black Panther went viral on the internet. The Black Panther ‘Saya’ was spotted in the dense Kabini forest of Karnataka. Black Panther is one of the rarest species of animals. Shaaz Jung, a wildlife photographer has clicked the amazing pictures of Black Panther. A wildlife cinematographer Shaaz Jung has been documenting the life of the Black Panther Saya for over five years. He told, he spent his last five years and 12 hours a day tracking the panther.

Talking to a leading channel, Shaaz Jung shared his experience and told,

“It’s been an absolutely incredible journey. I have been studying leopards for the past 10 years, but in 2015, I first encountered this melanistic leopard and it gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally shed some light on the master of darkness. To finally document an animal that hadn’t been studied this intimately before. (sic)”

When asked how he stumbled upon the melanistic leopard in the Kabini forest of Karanataka, Shaaz Jung told,

“I was in Bangalore when it was first spotted. It took a year for me to see him because he hadn’t established his territory yet. So, I spent a year on safari trying to track him and then in 2016 I first saw him. (sic)”

Shaaz Jung told, he has been going into the jungle at 6:00 AM in the morning and spending all day out there in Jungle till 6:30 PM in the evening, seven days a week.

Check out some amazing photos of Saya, Black Panther by Shaaz Jung.

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That lonely feeling, when the forest goes eerily silent but you know you’re not alone. That paranormal sensation where you can’t help but feel like you’re being watched. On most days, I look around and see nothing. But sometimes, when the wind dies and the leaves stop swaying, your eyes meet their eyes. . . The jungle is always alive, always watching. . . Which pair of eyes do you think surprised me most? . . #shaazjung #nikon #nikonindia #nature #wildlife #blackpanther #tiger #lion #cheetah #bigcats

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Jun 3, 2020 at 5:12am PDT

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Years have passed and this is still one of my most memorable photographs. It was this picture in 2017 that helped convince National Geographic to make a film on him. Thank you for sitting there on that tree my friend. It’s been wild ever since! . . @natgeowild @symbio_studios . . @russ_wildlife this image will always remind me you. . . #shaazjung #nikon #natgeo #natgeowild #blackpanther #wildlife #nature

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on May 19, 2020 at 7:12am PDT

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He who holds the two crescent moons, the shadow that summons light, darkness nears but the stars must wait, for he becomes the night. . . My photographs of this magnificent creature went viral this week. Though I took credit for most it, it is the panther’s enigmatic beauty, often lit by his luminous eyes, that deserve all the applause. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you, those that have dropped me some of the most touching messages this week, and to those who have followed me on this beautiful journey from day one. You guys are my inspiration and I hope this animal has inspired you to visit our beautiful Indian jungles. . . #shaazjung #blackpanther #nikon #nikonindia #wildlife #nature #natgeo

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Jul 9, 2020 at 8:09am PDT

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An eerie glow of first light hangs between the trees, silhouettes of branches dance without their leaves, wicked is the wind that waltzes thick as thieves, frigid is the mist for in it something breathes. . . This image does absolutely no justice to what we had witnessed that morning. We drove out at first light and watched darkness lift to reveal nothing but ambiguous shapes in the thick mist. We parked ourselves under the old Banyan, where he was seen the day before. The silence was deafening and dawn was like the dead of night. No songbirds sang, no crickets hummed yet there was an eerie sensation of being watched. Spending years on the same track, tracking the same animals, strengthens your intuition and within minutes a ghostly figure slowly took shape on the road ahead. It drifted by us in absolute silence and was by far my most chilling experience with the black panther. . . View my story for the BTS video. At this point, the light was far better but the image above was shot in extremely low light. I’ve played around with it in post to revive some light but kept it dark to try and retain some of it’s original vibe. . . #shaazjung #nikonz7 #nikonasia #blackpanther #wildlife #nature #natgeo #nikon #kabini

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Jan 21, 2020 at 4:34am PST

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There’s something inexplicably beautiful about the melancholic mist and how it transforms dawn into an eerie land of the lost. The paths may seem deceptively apparent and it’s destinations unknown, but don’t be afraid to wander in the mist, for he who walks the endless path shall find the greatest treasures. . . Filmed with the #nikonz7 on a misty morning in the forests of South India. . . Song credit: A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics by James Horner. . . #shaazjung #nikon #nikonindiaofficial #nikonasia #wildlife #nature #mist

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Jan 18, 2020 at 4:25am PST

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Darkness lives, all light must die, for the night shall walk, when the ghost birds cry. . . #shaazjung #nikon #natgeo #nikonz7 #wildlife #nature #nikonasia #blackpanther

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Dec 22, 2019 at 3:46am PST

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Always let shadow and light reflect on your talent, for the shadow must mean that light is apparent. . . #shaazjung #nikon #wildlife #blackpanther #nature #kabini #wildlifephotography

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Dec 18, 2019 at 4:41am PST

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A carpet of leaves blanketed the ancient jungle, old as Adam. Fallen branches, untouched, rotted in silence as far away stars still shimmered, happy in their silver-solar isolation. The coming of dawn conjured a warm glow of first light that hung between the trees of life. On most days, the moss ridden trail, freckled with leaves, would lead to a nearby stream, but the secrets of the jungle lay not in the ordinary. The essence lies in our ability to wander away from normality. It wasn’t about uncovering secrets, it was about daring to dream in her world. . . #shaazjung #nikon #nature #wildlife #earthpix

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Oct 29, 2019 at 5:50am PDT

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A tale of two tails. . . #shaazjung #nikon #blackpanther #nature #wildlife

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Oct 19, 2019 at 4:35am PDT

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I’ve always been fascinated by vintage illustrations of the jungle. Paintings from Maurice Becque and Sergey Artyushenko hung by my bed well before I became a photographer. They were my first inspiration and shaped the way I saw the jungle. I was always an artist at heart and used the camera to paint my picture but as time passes I’d love to get better with the brush. Here’s a quick illustration by me as I’m starting to dabble in the world of art for my next book. Hope you guys like it! . . #shaazjung #environmentalsurrealism #wildlife #nature #art #jungleillustration

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Oct 10, 2019 at 9:22am PDT

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Kingdom of the Panther . . #shaazjung #nikon #blackpanther #nature #wildlife #earthpix

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Oct 8, 2019 at 7:53am PDT

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The forest of the undying, where darkness forever descends. . . Photographed last evening. . . #shaazjung #nikon #nature #wildlife

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Aug 31, 2019 at 7:43am PDT

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My jungle is ethereal, pink leaves and lucid dreaming, I manipulate the world that you believe in. . . #shaazjung #nikon #nature #wildlife #environmentalsurrealism

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Aug 23, 2019 at 7:21am PDT

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The Jungle . . #shaazjung #nikonasia #nikon #wildlife #nature #wildlifephotography #earthpix

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Jun 17, 2019 at 8:29am PDT

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To watch a thousand suns burn through a cracked window and weave stories like the webs of a black widow. . . #shaazjung #nikonasia #nikon #natgeowild #earthpix #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Jun 23, 2019 at 7:33am PDT

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Shape shift like the clouds on a storm born sky, move like a silhouetted murder of crows that fly, drift like summer leaves as their trees bid goodbye, like souls in the wind when the ghostbirds cry, deep in the day when the light starts to die, the first of the black swans will learn how to fly. . . #shaazjung #natgeowild #nikonasia #earthpix #earthcapture #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature #love #blackpanther #kabini

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Apr 7, 2019 at 5:58am PDT

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In the winds of dawn, no wolves shall howl, no owls shall fly, yet the night still walks. . . Shot on the new mirrorless Nikon Z7. . . #shaazjung #natgeowild #nikonasia #nikonindiaofficial #nikonz7 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #earthpix #blackpanther #kabini

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on May 24, 2019 at 6:03am PDT

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Sundown, listen. Death of the songbirds rhythm, birth of the ghost-birds wisdom, flight of the nights first owl silhouetted as the skies turn crimson. Moonrise kingdom. In the silver-lit jungle where the grass blades glisten, some stay hidden. . . #shaazjung #nikonasia #natgeowild #earthpix #earthcapture #wildlifephotography #wildlife #nature #blackpanther #love

A post shared by Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung) on Mar 1, 2019 at 4:48am PST

Aren’t these pictures breathtaking? Shaaz added that at Nagarhole there is only one black panther that they have been recording. He named the black panther Saya, which means shadow for the documentary. Shaaz told that people can stream it on Disney+ Hotstar and is also available on National Geographic Channels. This rare black panther Saya reminded many people of Bagheera from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.

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