BHUBANESWAR: The Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) is all set to study the rare melanistic tigers found in Odisha. The one-year project will entail genetic analysis of the melanistic tigers in captivity at Nandankanan Zoological Park here as well as the wild ranging ones in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR).The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)-funded project received the recommendation of Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the State Government last week. Uma Ramakrishnan of NCBS will lead the study.
Talking to this paper, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) SS Srivastava said the NBCS will collect blood samples from melanistic tigers which are in captivity in the zoo to understand genetic reasons behind melanism and the extent of melanism in these tigers.There are three melanistic tigers, all juveniles, in the zoo. They were born to Sneha, a white tigress paired with a normal-coloured male Manish. One of the three juveniles possesses strong black stripes on a white coat and in case of the other two, melanism is on normal colour body. Two of them have been released in the tiger safari of the zoo.
The research project will focus half of its tenure on the tigers in captivity while the other half will be in STR, where the melanistic tigers were recorded for the first time. During the last tiger enumeration, camera traps captured pictures of more number of melanistic cubs, suggesting a rise in their population.
“Since collection of blood samples from the wild will not be possible, the research will look at the environment and underlying causes such as inbreeding, local ecology or any other specific causes to explain the melanism in the tigers in STR,” sources said.
The NCBS has already secured permission of Central Zoo Authority for the project while RAC has recommended that the research agency collaborate with Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) which operates under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).The NCBS is a biological research arm of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, a national centre under the Department of Atomic Energy.