Context

A rare melanistic tiger was found dead in Odisha’s Simlipal National Park (STR) in Mayurbhanj district.

About Similipal Tiger Reserve

• Similipal Tiger Reserve is the only place in the world to house the rare black tigers.
• 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. 
• Tigers:
  • The Similipal reserve had three adult melanistic tigers, according to the 2016 all-India tiger survey. 
  • Similipal tigers are part of a distinct lineage of central Indian tigers that occasionally includes melanistic tigers. These melanistic tigers have no other home in the world.
  • Tigers are pseudo-melanistic, because they have black and yellow stripes on their bodies.