A photographer named Nilanjan Ray is believed to have spotted a rare ‘white tiger’ with a pale skin colour for the first time in the Nilgiris.
The discovery has aroused interest among conservationists and forest officials.
It is yet to be ascertained whether the white tiger is a true genetic mutant.
The tiger which was spotted in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve does not seem to be albino and was found to be whitish with golden brown patches.
As per the scientists, genetic mutation among tigers changes an amino acid responsible for the normal colour being formed, resulting in “natural polymorphism”.
According to the scientists, white tigers lack pheomelanin, which is responsible for the red-yellow hue in the skin coat.
Such tigers are found in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
In 2016, world’s first White Tiger Safari was inaugurated at Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.
The first white tiger in Madhya Pradesh’s was spotted in Vindhya region in 1915.
However, the rare breed of the big cat spotted for the first time died in 1920.
White tigers have also been reported in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar.
These tigers have white fur because of the lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange colour fur.
