There are a lot of exotic species of flora and fauna that exist around us. Some exotic species occur in the wild and are native to a particular country and are not found anywhere else, just like the ‘Golden Tiger.’
Never heard of it, right?
Well, tigers are an endangered species in our country but what many might not know is that India is also home to a Golden Tiger. And, we say ‘a’ because apparently, there’s only one Golden Tiger recorded in the entire world in this century.
Recently, IFS Parveen Kaswan shared pictures of the Golden Tiger clicked by Wildlife photographer Mayuresh Hendre at the Kaziranga National Park. Ever since the images of the majestic creature was shared on Twitter, they’ve gone viral.
For those who don’t know, the Golden Tiger or Golden Tabby Tiger is a rare morph of a Royal Bengal Tiger.
Its rare appearance is believed to be caused because of recessive genes in individuals, as a result of inbreeding with fragmented population, caused by habitat destruction and loss of connectivity.
After six successful sightings of this particular female tiger, Mayuresh fondly named her ‘Goldie.’ Of course, Golden Tigers can be found in breeding centres and zoos across the world but, there is no verified record of them existing in the wild.
According to a post by Wild Karnataka, Goldie is the only recorded individual in the wild in the 21st century.
Just like us, even netizens were fascinated with this piece of information.
Incredible!