Glorious! Rare black tiger photographed in Odisha; netizens say 'it looks beautiful'

An uber-rare tiger has been captured strolling in a zoological park in Odisha. Amateur photographer Soumen Baypayee, who later shared his “beautiful” clicks on Instagram, discovered the animal with “rare gene pool” in Nandankanan Sanctuary, located in Bhuvneshwar, last year. As per his social media posts, the tiger species, which are on the verge of extinction, are found both in captivity and wild.

Melanistic tigers undergo genetic alterations that make them look different from the rest of the species. These “special” tigers, who could be identified by their black stripes being more prominent than the “yellow part” of their body, are found solely in the state of Odisha.  Their numbers are sliding down fast with only a handful of black tigers remain today.

Read: Unseen Pic Of The Day: Manju Warrier Shares Rare Pic With Kunchacko Boban On His Birthday

Read: India's Only 'Golden Tiger' Spotted In Assam's Kaziranga National Park

Photo resurfaced a few days ago

Although the post was shared over 80 weeks ago, it recently caught traction on the internet. In addition to a multitude of comments, it has also garnered nearly a thousand likes. "I love the dark colour. Beautiful, " wrote a user. While another wrote, "Let's save the different tiger this year," another wrote repeating the call to save the species. Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures! That beautiful tiger is glorious looking!, lauded another Instagram user.  

Read: India's Only 'Golden Tiger' Spotted In Assam's Kaziranga National Park

Read: Rare Clip Of Wild Tiger Fighting Safari Tiger In Karnataka Breaks Internet; Watch Video

In a similar incident, a very rare Golden Tabby tiger has been spotted in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The tigress has been photographed by Mayuresh Hendre who works as a Naturalist and Destination Manager with luxury cruise ship MV Mahabahu. This is the only sighting of a Golden tiger in India. 

This female Golden tiger is believed to be the only recorded individual in the wild in the 21st century. Though there are earlier records of sightings in different parts of India from the 1900s, no photographic records exist in the wild, said Mayuresh Hendre to Republic Media Network.