If you go on social media, you can see discussions about Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) in Assam, where the rarest golden tiger, an adult male Bengal tiger with golden morph, was spotted on camera recently after three years. Was imprisoned in. Illusive scene.
If reports are to be believed, the fateful encounter happened during a private photo tour led by 25-year-old Gaurav Ramanarayanan, a Coimbatore-based tourism professional who was guiding two Australian tourists through the western part of the Bagori range of the park.
The extraordinary moment unfolded around 4 pm when the group heard warning sounds from barking deer. Budheshwar Konwar, a tour guide, spotted the elusive golden tiger from a distance of 600 to 700 metres. The tiger, displaying its rare golden coat, slowly approached the group, eventually coming within 60 to 70 metres. Gaurav Ramanarayanan, thrilled by this encounter, kept taking photographs and described the experience as truly thrilling and unforgettable.
Gaurav, a travel company owner, expressed his luck to witness this rare phenomenon, and emphasized that though he had visited Kaziranga before, this was his first glimpse of the elusive golden tiger.
Park director Sonali Ghosh revealed that the golden phenotype, a rare recessive trait in Bengal tigers, had not been seen in the park for three years. Park officials are actively investigating this unique feature through non-invasive scat sampling and DNA mapping conducted by scientists from the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, led by Professor Uma Ramakrishnan and her team.
Contrary to the view last seen in July 2020, where experts considered the golden color to be a result of color divergence due to excessive inbreeding, Ghosh said linking inbreeding to genetic variation is far-fetched. They reported that diverse forms of pigmentation phenotypes are common across different species, driven by evolutionary forces such as selection and random genetic drift.
The Chief Minister of Assam shared the picture of the majestic golden tiger on social media, echoing the sentiment of awe and admiration for the rare and captivating sight.
While the presence of the golden tiger raises questions about the conservation and genetic diversity of tigers in the wild, ongoing research and observations in Kaziranga National Park provide valuable insights into the gripping world of these Escaping and captivating creatures.
