Two exceptionally rare “black” tigers were recently photographed in Nandankanan National Park in eastern India.
These remarkable animals have only been documented in the Odisha region, where experts estimate that only seven to eight remain.
The distinctive appearance of black tigers results from a genetic mutation known as pseudo-melanism.
This condition causes the dark stripes on their orange-golden fur to merge, often giving the impression that their coat is entirely dark.
Satya Swagat, a 23-year-old business student from New Delhi and an amateur photographer, captured the rare images from just 30 feet away.
Last November, he photographed the tigers, both males and described his awe at the encounter.
“I got goosebumps when I first saw the melanistic tiger,” Satya said. “At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes, and for a moment, I forgot to even pick up my camera. The tiger moved right before me, and its beauty left me speechless.”
After regaining his composure, Satya took several photos of the rare animals. He had previously heard about these elusive tigers from friends who had visited the park but noted that few people had ever seen them up close.
“I had the chance to photograph a melanistic tiger in 2020 but couldn’t get any good shots,” he explained. “However, last November was different—I captured not just one but two different individuals.”
Black tigers have been rare even when tiger populations were more abundant in India. In September, researchers investigating these endangered tigers in the Similipal reserve shed light on their unique genetic mutation.
They suggested that the mutation results from inbreeding, as the tigers have little to no interaction with others outside the region.
A report by Indian Express explained, “Researchers used genetic analyses and computer simulations to demonstrate that Similipal black tigers likely emerged from a very small founding population and are inbred.”
Another black tiger was spotted in Odisha in late 2020, photographed by amateur photographer Soumen Bajpayee. These tigers have been observed in Similipal since 1993, with photographs dating back to 2007.
While sightings of fully black tigers are extremely rare, historical records exist. The Financial Express reports that James Forbes painted a black tiger in Kerala in 1773, and similar reports emerged from Myanmar in 1913 and China in the 1950s.
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