Jakarta. A leopard and a black panther were spotted roaming Mount Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGGP) in Cianjur, West Java, as captured by surveillance cameras (CCTV). Hikers are advised not to leave food scraps to prevent these protected animals from approaching the hiking trails.

"The predators have been spotted again. We're relieved to see the apex predators still present, indicating that the ecosystem balance of TNGGP is maintained," stated the official Instagram account of the Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, @bbtn_gn_gedepangrango, on Monday.

Sapto Aji, Head of the TNGGP Office in Cianjur, said that although the animals are far from the hiking trails, preventive measures are in place to ensure these protected animals are not disturbed and their natural behavior remains unaffected.

"The CCTV cameras are positioned far from the hiking trails, but we still prohibit hikers from leaving food or litter that could attract wildlife in their natural habitat," Sapto said in Cianjur.

He explained that the surveillance footage showed a leopard walking through the forest, followed shortly by a black panther approaching the camera.

"The black panther is a leopard with melanistic pigmentation, which makes it appear black. We do not yet know if the two leopards are a mating pair or a mother and offspring," he said.

Sapto noted that currently, there are 24 leopards and black panthers living in the Mount Gede Pangrango area. To confirm their numbers this year, a survey of the leopard population in Java, including the TNGGP area, will be conducted.

He mentioned that leopard reproduction in Mount Gede Pangrango has occurred naturally, and their habitat is maintained by park rangers.

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