Rare Melanistic Tiger Skin Seized, Nine Arrested In Odisha's Mayurbhanj

Baripada: The Odisha Forest Department arrested nine persons and seized the skin of a rare melanistic tiger from them during a raid at Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district.

The arrests and seizure were made on Sunday by the special enforcement wing of the Forest Department and at Kuliana village, Baripada DFO Govind Chandra Biswal said. Acting on a tip-off, a team from Baripada Forest Division seized the melanistic tiger skin from two persons, while carrying out a raid, he said.

The tiger is believed to have been poached around month ago and it was around three years old. However, the Forest Department said the main accused in the case is still at large. "The accused are being interrogated and more arrests are likely," said the DFO. He said more information on the poaching of the tiger and other details will emerge after the main accused in apprehended.

Melanistic tigers, characterised by their striking dark-striped coats due to a rare pseudo-melanism genetic mutation, are unique to Similipal Tiger Reserve, the only known wild habitat for the variant. The reserve is home to an estimated 13 such tigers, based on previous records, making each loss a severe blow to biodiversity and conservation efforts.

Advanced technologies, including AI-based surveillance cameras installed to detect intruders and poachers in real-time, have been deployed to bolster security. Yet, the killing of the precious animal raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of these systems and overall enforcement on the ground.

STR was declared one of the nine Tiger Reserves of India in 1973. It is the second-largest biosphere reserve in Asia and is listed under the UNESCO network of biosphere reserves.

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