Bhubaneswar, Jan 8: In a visual delight for wildlife lovers, at least four rare pseudo-melanistic tigers were caught on camera inside a forest in Odisha.

Notably, the melanistic tigers - a rare gene pool on which the black stripes are far more prominent than the Royal Bengal Tiger's - are found only in Odisha. They are often referred to as 'black tigers' due to their dense and dark stripe patterns. 

A video of the extraordinary tigers was posted by senior IFS officer and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Susanta Nanda, on his X handle. Nanda is known for sharing fascinating videos, photos and facts about wildlife.

Nature never fails to surprise us. This is one of the rarest of the rare…
A complete Pseudo melanistic tiger family from the forests of Odisha😌 pic.twitter.com/SQx6dQo3sD

— Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) January 7, 2024

This rare tiger was captured on a camera trap, a device used to monitor wildlife populations and behaviour. According to WWF, a camera trap is simply a digital camera connected to an infrared sensor, which can see objects that are moving, like animals. They are meant to obtain critical data about wildlife and their habitats, species location, population sizes, and how species are interacting. 

Internet users were thrilled to see the video and expressed their delight in the comments section. One user wrote, ''Great news Sir! Must be of Similipal Tiger Reserve.''

Another commented, ''It would be a treat to the eyes to spot them at their own habitat.''

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