Death Of a Rare Black Tiger : Similipal Tiger Reserve
The death of a Rare Black Tiger was reported in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha.
- Simlipal has the world’s highest rate of black tiger sightings in the world.
- Black Tigers are a rare colour variant of the Bengal tiger and are not a distinct species or geographic subspecies.
- The abnormally dark or black coat in such tigers is termed pseudo melanistic or false coloured.
- Melanistic refers to having very dark skin/hair due to higher-than-normal level of the pigment
- There is a high probability (about 60%) that the tiger will have the mutant gene, if randomly selected from Similipal.
Similipal Tiger Reserve:
- It was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and brought under Project Tiger in the year 1973. It was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India in June, 1994.
- It has been part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserve since 2009.
- It is part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadagarh Elephant Reserve popularly known as Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes 3 protected areas i.e., Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadagarh Wildlife sanctuary and Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary.
- It is situated in the northern part of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. Geographically, it lies in the eastern end of the eastern ghat.
- Similipal is home to a wide range of wild animals including tigers and elephants, besides 304 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and 62 species of reptiles.
