A male Royal Bengal tiger of the rare melanistic breed was found dead in the core area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Sunday, news agency ANI reported citing an official statement on Monday. Though the exact cause of the tiger's death is yet to be determined, forest department officials stated that preliminary evidence indicated that the animal died as a result of suspected infighting.
Prakash Chand Gogineni, the regional chief conservator of the forest, stated, "A rare melanistic tiger was found dead in Similipal Tiger Reserve yesterday. The tiger's autopsy was performed today. Based on injury marks on the body, the preliminary cause of death is believed to be infighting between two males. The test results, however, will provide a clear picture of the exact cause of death," he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Similipal reserve had three adult melanistic tigers, according to the 2016 all-India tiger survey. The most recent data will be made available in July. Similipal tigers are part of a distinct lineage of central Indian tigers that occasionally includes melanistic tigers. These melanistic tigers have no other home in the world, according to the reserve's website. Tigers are pseudo-melanistic, according to experts, because they have black and yellow stripes on their bodies.
The Similipal reserve, which covers an area of 2,700 square kilometres, is home to leopards, elephants, Indian gaur, and other animals. According to the website, it is home to over 1,253 species of flowering plants, 99 species of non-flowering plants, 21 species of amphibians, 62 species of reptiles, 361 species of birds, 55 species of mammals, and many species of flora and fauna that have yet to be identified.