Karnataka Minister’s son captures rare phenomenon in leopard’s eyes at Bandipur forest

At Bandipur Tiger Reserve, a rare leopard with Heterochromia Iridum was captured on camera by Dhruv Patil. The leopard has one blue-green eye and one brown eye, a condition rarely seen in wild cats. Dhruv, a wildlife photographer and board member, highlighted this as India's first documented case. Experts commend the discovery, citing its rarity.

In a remarkable discovery at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Gundlupet taluk, a unique leopard was captured on camera with two eyes of different colours. The leopard, spotted by wildlife photographer Dhruv Patil, son of Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil, exhibits a rare genetic mutation known as Heterochromia Iridum.

Dhruv Patil, who is also a member of the Karnataka State Board for Wildlife, shared the extraordinary photograph on social media, noting that this is the first time such a phenomenon has been documented among leopards in India. The condition, which causes the eyes to have different colours, is common in domestic cats and dogs but rare among wild cats.

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During a routine visit to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar district, Dhruv noticed the leopard resting atop a tree. Upon closer inspection, he observed that one of the leopard's eyes was bluish-green while the other was brown. This unusual characteristic is attributed to a rare genetic mutation.

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Experts in the field have praised Dhruv's documentation of this rare occurrence. Sanjay Gubbi, a researcher known for his extensive studies on leopards in Karnataka, noted, "It's common for big cats like tigers or leopards to exhibit two to three eye colour variations. However, having two different eye colours in a single individual is extremely rare. A similar case was previously observed in a leopard at Kruger National Park in South Africa and among leopard cats in the Sunderbans."

Other experts have noted that advancements in photographic technology have enabled the discovery of many unique features in wildlife.