Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve Director Pradeep Vyas said a

melanistic cat has never been sighted before by them anywhere in the reserved forests of Sundarbans spread over an area of 4200 sq km. Leopards, jungle cats, fishing cats and leopard cats are already known to exist in the mangroves of Sundarbans, criss-crossed by a wide network of rivers and tidal creeks. After seeing the photographs, WWF officials consulted experts at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun seeking identification of the species. "We also showed it to other experts and came to the conclusion that it should be a melanistic leopard cat," Danda said. Bonnie Camp, where the sightings were made, is a popular tourist spot in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove delta which is home to more than 250 endangered Royal Bengal tigers. It also harbours a good number of rare and globally threatened animals including Olive Ridley turtles, river terrapins, estuarine crocodiles, Gangetic dolphin, Common otter, etc.