Bhubaneswar: Three individuals were arrested by Similipal Tiger Reserve authorities on Thursday for allegedly possessing a rare melanistic tiger skin. The operation, a coordinated effort by the Similipal (south) and Baripada forest divisions, led to the capture of the suspects.
Operation Details
The arrested persons have been identified as Gangadhar Murmu, Ramdas Hembram, and Bhima Baskey. According to Sumit Kar, Deputy Director of Similipal (south), the authorities acted on intelligence inputs regarding an impending deal between the trio and a trader. The seizure included the tiger skin, three motorcycles, and two mobile phones.
Melanistic Tigers: A Rare Variant
Melanistic tigers are a rare color variant of the Royal Bengal Tiger, characterized by increased black pigmentation and stripes. Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha is the only place in the world where these tigers are found in the wild. The authorities suspect the skin may have come from a tiger within the reserve, though the specific tiger and the time of the killing remain unknown.
Investigation and Analysis
The seized skin will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for laboratory examination. Preliminary observations suggest the skin is not recent. WII will also attempt to identify the tiger using its database and stripe pattern matching software. This follows a previous incident in May 2023, when a male melanistic tiger was found dead in the Nawna (south) range of Similipal, allegedly due to infighting.
The authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the origin of the skin and identify any other individuals involved in the illegal trade.
