Melanism in servals is rare. Incredibly rare, in fact. There's been a handful of sightings over the years, the majority lasting a split second. I'm incredibly proud to say that my image of "Manja" was one of the first clear portraits, ever.

Having heard rumours of a melanistic serval in the Serengeti, I spent over 2 weeks and nearly 200 hours in the field searching for a little black cat. Needle in a haystack was an understatement.

Finally, after days spent trawling the grassland in the blistering heat, I spotted him sleeping in the long grass. Just before sunset, he woke out of his slumber - I got the photo. After that, I didn't see him again. In fact, nobody did. He wasn't seen for months.

Then in the summer of 2021, as if by magic, he reappeared... with kittens. To this day, he's still being seen wandering the plains, his bloodline continuing.

My "Manja" assignment will stay with me until my dying day.