Ultra-Rare Black Tiger Spotted In Odisha, Pics Went Viral On Social Media
The rare endangered Melanistic Tiger shows himself in the Nandankanan Sanctuary in Bhubaneswar. The revelation was done by the ameture photographer Soumen Bajpayee on social media. The pictures went viral in no time.
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha:
A 27-year-old amateur photographer Soumen Bajpayee was lucky enough to spot and shoot photographs of an ultra-rare species of black tiger officially named as the Melanistic tiger and are on the brink of extinction, in the Nandankanan Sanctuary, located at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
“While I was watching various birds and monkeys in the trees, I suddenly saw something which looked like a tiger but not like the usual tiger,” Mr Bajpayee tells an interviewer. “Back then I didn’t have any idea about melanistic tigers. Suddenly it appeared from the woods, stayed for a few seconds and walked back into the trees.” He says.
The youth did not waste time and took out his camera to click some snapshots of the black tiger. “I have seen many tigers before – both in the wild and in captivity – but this was a completely different one,” he further added.
Formally known as the Melanistic Tiger, this rare species finds itself only in the state of Odisha. It is said that there are only seven to eight black tigers in the entire state. However, it must also be noted that 70 percent of the world’s black tiger population lies in Odisha. Out of these, most of the total population can be found in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha. The first black-striped tiger was reported in the said reserve in 2007.
The black colour of the tiger is found due to the abundance of the pigment called melanin, which is a dark brown to black pigment occurring in the hair, skin, and iris of the eye in people and animals. It is responsible for tanning of skin exposed to sunlight. This gene pool is even rarer than that of the White Tiger, which is also a part of the family of tigers with genetic anomalies.
Wildlife expert and scientist of Wildlife Institute of India Dr Biwash Pandav mentioned that these types of tigers are smaller than normal Bengal Tigers. He also mentioned that first of its kind spot in India in 1990. The reason for these tigers to be found in Odisha is that many forests and habitats as tigers do not feel the need to move from place to place as a result.
Mr Bajapayee shared the story behind the Black Tigers. He stated that In 1993, the presence of melanistic tigers was reported for the first time in Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, and then again in 2007.
“After that, a few years later in Nandankanan Sanctuary, one tigress gave birth to four cubs. Out of them, two were melanistic.”
“Those two cubs were immediately taken care of and their growth was monitored through CCTV. After one year they were brought into the open.
“Nandankanan is built within the forest itself. That’s why the tiger was brought up in a natural environment and it roams in its natural environment.
The Nandankanan sanctuary was established in 1960. It was opened to the public in 1979 and became the first zoo in India to join the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2009.