Odisha to get the World’s First Melanistic Tiger Safari 

The Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha is the only home to the melanistic tigers of the world. Also known as Black tigers, this type of tigers have broad black stripes all over their bodies that hide the orange-brownish parts of their fur. On January 24th, the government of Odisha announced plans to build a melanistic tiger safari near Baripara. It will be the first melanistic tiger safari in the world. 

The safari will cover almost 200 hectares of land, with a large display area for visitors and veterinary care facilities for the tigers. According to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Odisha, Mr Susanta Nanda, the site is about 15 km from the Similipal Tiger Reserve. Aside from the melanistic tigers, this safari will also house rescued and orphaned tigers which are unfit for the wild. These tigers will be brought from the Nandankanan Zoo of Odisha. 

The Chief Minister of Odisha, Mr Naveen Patnaik, took to social media platform X to announce his joy about Odisha housing the first-of-its-kind safari. He tweeted: 

“Glad to announce that Odisha is setting up an exclusive Melanistic Tiger Safari near Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district. Tourists and visitors can now have a glimpse of the rare and majestic species found only in Odisha.” 

This tiger safari is expected to be open to the public by October 2024. According to the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) report released in July 2022, there are twenty tigers in Odisha, including ten that are melanistic.