Bhubaneswar: Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Susanta Nanda took to X to share a beautiful video clipping of ‘pseudo-melanistic’ tigers found in Simlipal, Odisha.
Since Chief Wildlife Warden shared the images of these rare tigers, it garnered significant attention and left many in awe.
“Nature never fails to surprise us. This is one of the rarest of the rare… ‘A complete Pseudo melanistic tiger family from the forests of Odisha,’ Shri Nanda wrote on X.
This rare tiger was captured on a camera trap installed inside the STR to monitor wildlife populations and behavior.
Soon after he shared the video, internet users were thrilled to see the video and expressed their delight in the comments section.
Ace Nature Lover’s post has so far accumulated around 60,000 views and over 2000 likes. It even garnered numerous reactions from X users. While some called the images amazing, others called them gorgeous.
“‘Nature is amazing. Amazing creatures,’ wrote one user. ‘Wow. All their stripes ran together like ink. Very interesting & beautiful,’ commented another.
“‘What a sight! Hope we will be able to conserve this amazing wildlife forever,’ added a third. ‘You are so lucky to be with such lovely creations of nature and God,’ expressed another.”
The Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha has become the centre of the Internet’s attention after a melanistic tiger was caught on a camera trap.
Melanistic tigers, often referred to as ‘black tigers’ due to their dense and dark stripe patterns, are a genetic variation of the Bengal tiger, caused by a mutation that results in an increased amount of melanin.
Recently, Union Minister of State for Environment Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey had informed Rajya Sabha that Melanistic tigers (black tigers) have been recorded only in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha.
As per the 2022 cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation, 16 individuals were recorded at Similipal Tiger Reserve, out of which 10 were melanistic, he said in a written statement to Rajya Sabha.
