Tiger conservation authority asks Odisha to start India’s first melanistic tiger safari

Simlipal Tiger Reserve is the only tiger habitat in the world with melanistic tigers, which have broad black stripes running across their bodies and thicker than those seen on normal tigers, so much so that their tawny skin colour is barely visible.

 Updated: Feb 09, 2020 14:31 IST 

Debabrata Mohanty 

Hindustan Times, Bhubaneswar

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) has asked Odisha to start a melanistic tiger safari on the fringe of its biggest tiger reserve in Simlipal to create awareness about such big cats and generate revenue for their conservation.

Simlipal Tiger Reserve is the only tiger habitat in the world with melanistic tigers, which have broad black stripes running across their bodies and thicker than those seen on normal tigers, so much so that their tawny skin colour is barely visible.

The reserve first reported the presence of melanistic tigers in 2007. In 2016, a census carried out by Odisha’s forest department in the reserve found six melanistic tigers.

In a letter to Odisha’s chief wildlife warden recently, NTCA said the tiger safari should be established on the fringe and buffer area of the tiger reserve to reduce the pressure of tourism from the core and critical tiger habitats.

The authority, however, turned down the state government’s proposal of establishing a safari in the core area of the Simlipal National Park, saying the plan does not conform to its guidelines to establish a tiger safari.

The authority said the state government can start a melanistic tiger safari at Jashipur, which is beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the Simlipal tiger reserve.

Simlipal tiger reserve’s deputy director, JD Pati, said NTCA in its directive to Odisha made it clear that only ex-situ (conservation outside natural habitat) melanistic tigers can be put in the tiger safari.

“No melanistic tiger in the wild can’t be put in the tiger safari. Only such tigers that are in the zoo like the Nandankanan zoo can be kept in the proposed safari,” said Pati.

Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar has 24 tigers including four melanistic tigers.

State wildlife officials said a meeting would soon be convened to discuss the relocation of melanistic tigers to the proposed safari at Jashipur.

Former director of Simlipal tiger reserve, Debabrata Swain, said melanistic tiger safari on the fringe of the reserve made sense as tourists to Simlipal don’t get to see the tigers.

“Though tigers were all over the reserve in Simlipal earlier, due to crowding of tourists, tigers disappeared and all of them migrated to Debasthali in south Simlipal. Earlier, Chahala situated in the north of Simlipal was teeming with wild animals and tigers were sighted frequently in and around Chahala,” said Swain.

“Once the melanistic tiger safari starts in Jashipur, it will reduce the pressure of visitors at Chahala and other places inside the core area of Simlipal. Apart from bringing back the past glory of Similipal, it will generate ample fund for management of the tiger reserve on the lines of lion safari in Gir forest of Gujarat,” he said.
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