The footage, shot between Wednesday and Saturday last week, indicates the forest’s growing fertility to the point of having more of rare, top-of-food-chain animals such big cats.

The image was captured near Highway No 1117 (Khlong Lan-Umphang), which cut through Tak’s Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary and has been closed since 1977 to allow nature recovery.

Previously, sanctuary officials had only spotted black panther footprints and faeces, and captured only the occasional grainy still photograph.

Besides the black panther, sanctuary officials have also recorded footage of a family of four tigers in the 1.6 million-rai Umphang forest.

The sanctuary is working to bring back 10 rare wild animals including tigers, leopards/black panthers, elephants, tapirs, Fea’s muntjacs, deer, serows, gaurs, bantengs, and bears.