13 Jul, 2020

The Golden Tiger of this Century Recorded in Kaziranga National Park

Among the many things that excite a wildlife lover or enthusiast, one is coming across a rare species of a mammal, bird or reptile. One such rare species, a Golden Tiger, was spotted by a wildlife photographer in Kaziranga National Park, one of the most famous national parks in Assam. It’s the only one of its kind to be seen in the 21st century in the wild.

What is the Golden Tiger? What makes it a rare species?

While Royal Bengal Tiger is in itself an endangered species in India, this Golden Tiger is the only one of its kind recorded in the wild in the entire world, in the 21st century. Although Golden Tigers are found in zoos across the world, this is the first time that they have been spotted in the wild.

A Golden Tiger is believed to be a rare morph of the Royal Bengal Tiger, which happens because of recessive genes in individuals due to inbreeding with fragmented populations, which in turn is caused because of the destruction of natural habitat & loss of connectivity.

Who spotted the Golden Tiger?

The Golden Tiger was spotted by Mayuresh Hendre, a wildlife photographer who clicked pictures of it, which were later shared by Parveen Kaswan, a Divisional Forest Officer at Indian Forest Service (IFS) on Twitter. They have since gone viral and have received plenty of likes & retweets. Mayuresh fondly named the Golden Tiger “Goldie”, after spotting it six times.

According to Parveen Kaswan, the same Golden Tiger had been captured in a camera a few years back, and he had also shared a tweet about it.

Nature never stops surprising us with her new creations, and this is an example of that.

News Source: IndiaTimes