The new year has begun on an extraordinary note for the West Bengal forest department with the sighting of a rare melanistic deer in the hilly forests of Kurseong— an occurrence being described as unprecedented in the state’s recorded wildlife history.
Forest department officials confirmed that the rare black-coloured deer was spotted on Thursday morning in the Dowhill forest under the Kurseong Forest Division. According to officials, this is the first time a melanistic deer has been publicly sighted and documented in West Bengal. The photographs of the animal were captured by Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Debesh Pandey himself.
Forest sources explained that the occurrence of such a deer is extremely rare, with estimates suggesting that only one melanistic deer is born among nearly 10 lakh deer. As a result, only a handful of such animals are believed to exist across the country, making the sighting particularly significant from a conservation and research perspective.
The forest department clarified that melanism is a genetic condition in which an excess of black pigment develops in an animal’s skin or fur. Just as black leopards — frequently sighted in the region in recent years — are scientifically referred to as melanistic leopards, the newly spotted black deer is a melanistic variant of the barking deer species. Though similar animals have been mentioned earlier in internal research and forest studies, this is the first confirmed visual evidence of a melanistic deer in the state.
Following the sighting, forest officials have intensified surveillance across the Dowhill forest and adjoining areas.
“Such rare animals are often at high risk from poachers, prompting the department to enhance patrolling and monitoring to ensure the animal’s safety. The Kurseong forest belt has emerged as a hotspot for rare melanistic wildlife. In recent years, black leopards have been repeatedly spotted in the forests of Dowhill, Bagora and Mirik, further underscoring the ecological richness of the region,” said a forest department official.
Expressing his excitement, Kurseong Forest Division DFO Debesh Pandey said, “This is truly wonderful news for us. While black leopards have been sighted several times in the past, this is the first confirmed sighting of a melanistic deer in the state. Such animals are born extremely rarely. That is why we have taken extra precautions and strengthened surveillance across the entire forest area.”
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