Bhubaneswar: In a remarkable development for wildlife conservation, three melanistic tiger cubs have been born in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve. Forest department sources confirmed the births after camera trap images captured the cubs moving alongside their mother, the melanistic tigress known as T-20.
This rare sighting further strengthens Similipal’s unique status as the only habitat in the world known to support a population of melanistic tigers in the wild.
According to officials, the three cubs, estimated to be four to five months old, have now grown tall enough to be detected in the strategically placed camera traps across the reserve’s core areas. A senior forest official said that the cubs were confirmed to be melanistic from one clear image, although there are several other blurry captures.
While the exact location of the sightings has not been disclosed to protect the animals, authorities confirmed it occurred within the core zone of the reserve, which currently hosts 32 adult tigers.
The birth of these three cubs adds to an earlier litter of six tiger cubs detected in camera traps, now around eight months old. Of those six, three are also melanistic. This brings the current known tiger cub population in Similipal to nine, six of them displaying the rare black-striped pattern.
The births come as a boost to conservation efforts and underline the significance of Similipal as a vital stronghold for both Royal Bengal Tigers and their melanistic counterparts. Wildlife experts believe the increasing frequency of melanistic tiger births may be linked to localised genetic factors, further highlighting the importance of genetic diversity and habitat protection.
