In India, in Nandankanan National Park, an amateur photographer came face to face with two very rare black tigers, which he was able to photograph.
Photo credit: Satya Swagat
Satya Swagat is a 23 year old business student. While walking in Nandankanan National Park, India, he spotted a pair of tigers. These two felines had an astonishing particularity, since their fur was of a very black color. As the student was only a few meters from the tigers, he was able to take some incredible shots of this extremely rare species.
“I got goosebumps when I first saw the tiger. I couldn’t believe my eyes and for a minute I forgot to take my camera as the tiger moved right in front of my eyes. I was surprised by the beauty of this rare animal”said Satya Swagat.
Photo credit: Satya Swagat
Very rare black tigers
The very dark color of these black tigers is due to a genetic mutation, called pseudo-melanism. The tigers’ stripe pattern seems to merge onto their orange fur, giving their hair a particularly dark color. According to scientists, this genetic mutation is linked to the inbreeding of tigers, which interact very little with other species in this region.
Photo credit: Satya Swagat
These black tigers are very rare since animal experts estimate that there are only seven or eight left in the state of Oshida, India. However, black tigers have always been few in number because even when the tiger population was abundant, this species was already rare centuries ago.
“Few people have seen them in the forest and few people have been able to get so close to these rare tigers. I had the opportunity to photograph a tiger in 2020 but failed to take any decent photos”said Satya Swagat.
Although they remain extremely rare, this is not the first time these black tigers have been caught on camera. In November 2020, an animal photographer had already been able to attend this extraordinary meeting.
Photo credit: Satya Swagat
Photo credit: Satya Swagat
Photo credit: Satya Swagat
