Bhubaneswar, Aug. 10 -- The reported deaths of three melanistic tigers in Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in 2026 has sounded an alarm over the survival of one of the world's rarest tiger populations, with conservationists calling for an independent probe and heightened protection measures.
Similipal is globally recognised as the only known habitat of India's pseudo-melanistic, commonly called "black", tigers.
Genetically distinct from the conventional tiger population, these animals are characterised by unusually broad and closely spaced black stripes, making Similipal a unique destination on the global wildlife map.
The latest concern was triggered by the recovery of the carcass of an approximately five-year-old female melanisti...