An incredibly rare pale tiger has been spotted in India.
Wildlife photographer Nilanjan Ray snapped some amazing photos while with a guide in the mountainous Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in South India. The tiger was crossing the road just 200 feet away.
The tiger is not white, but rather a really rare pale tiger. Something that hasn’t been seen in India in ages — if at all.
“May he lead a long life in the wild,” Ray posted on Twitter, where people are over the moon with the sighting.
I recently encountered a very rare and pale #tiger in #Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. A sub-adult with colour morphism. pic.twitter.com/3Jks7OAkGx
— Nilanjan Ray (@nilanjanray) July 6, 2017
How rare?
Really rare.
“It is the palest tiger I have ever seen on the record or heard about in literature,” said Belinda Wright, the founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, told The Guardian.
Conservationists say the fur on this tiger could be the fairest of any in the wild. Read more here: https://t.co/b2eaJd2Lzd 📸 Nilanjan Ray pic.twitter.com/P4WkpQiCbB
— UN Environment (@UNEP) July 8, 2017
This tiger is not like the white tigers made familiar by Siegfried & Roy.
In fact, white tigers in captivity are horribly inbred.
This fella — or gal (it’s gender is unknown) — is just the fairest hue of orange.
That’s also what makes the genetic quirk on the animal in the wild so special.
However, it could draw onlookers and evil-doers.
“Only forest department knows specific location,” Ray assures animal lovers. “Have been told that the forest dep is taking all necessary measures.”
Still, Ray is cautiously optimistic.
“Hope he gets to live his life in the wild & is not captured + put in some zoo. Or poached,” he wrote. “…May he lead a long life in the wild.”
Photos Nilanjan Ray
