Bagheera is the famous black panther from the ever popular Jungle Book series. He was originally introduced in the 1894 book written by Rudyard Kipling, and since then has become an infamously popular cartoon feline. What makes him such a memorable cartoon wildcat?
It all began with Bagheera’s escape from captivity. He was chained up for his entire life, but was luckily able to escape back into the jungle, where he is quickly accepted and respected by the other inhabitants of the jungle.
Bagheera is smart and responsible, and because of his colourful history, Bagheera has a vast knowledge of human beings. These personality traits come in handy when Bagheera finds the baby, Mowgli, in the jungle. Bagheera is easily able to take him in, raise him, and become his mentor and friend. See the Disney adaptation of this scene HERE.
In addition to the Jungle Book written story, Bagheera is also a main character in the Disney film adaptation of the book, which was released in 1967. The success and popularity of this film also led to a Jungle Book television series, which also features Bagheera as a main character.
Bagheera may not sing catchy songs like The Bare Necessities, but he’s still a character that we’ve come to love because of his strong-willed personality and his great mentoring abilities.
Congratulations to one of our past Black Cat Contest winners - Bandit! Click 
