According to the Government of India, there are a total of 10 “black tigers” in India, all exclusively found in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve.
- Union Minister of State for Environment, Ashiwini Kumar Choubey, told the Rajya Sabha that “melanistic tigers” have been documented only in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha.
- As per the 2022 cycle of the pan-India tiger estimation exercise, the Similipal Tiger Reserve has 16 tigers, out of which 10 exhibit melanism.
- The Similipal Tiger Reserve has been identified as a distinct conservation cluster due to its genetic composition.
- The rare black tigers with distinctive dark stripe patterns are Bengal tigers with a gene mutation and are only found in the region.
- Simlipal has the world’s highest rate of black tiger sightings in the world.
