White Tiger: Know National Parks to See White Tigers in India

White tigers, also known as bleached tigers, have an almost white fur or pale colour due to the lack of yellow, black, and orange pigments. The world's first White Tiger Safari was opened to the public in Madhya Pradesh.

Top 5 National Parks to See White Tigers in India

It is extremely rare to find white tigers in the wild. They are occasionally reported in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Rewa, and the Sunderbans region.

• Mukundpur, Madhya Pradesh:

This is a sanctuary adjacent to the Mukundpur Zoo in the Vindhya region of Rewa Satna, where the first white tiger was witnessed in India in 1915. A white tiger cub named Mohan was captured by Rewa Maharaja Martand Singh in 1951. The MP government plans to install an Indian White Tiger Safari covering 75 hectares around Mukundpur.

• Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh:

The Bandhavgarh Forest is known as the White Tiger Jungle, and it can be found in and around Bandhavgarh. However, for the past 50 years, no white tigers have been reported from wild Bandhavgarh.

• Sundarbans, West Bengal:

Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal is famous for its wetland tiger population and is one of India's largest Bengal tiger reserves.

• Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu:

A rare white tiger was first discovered in the Nilgiris. Bangalore wildlife photographers were said to have found pale tigers in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve.

• Kaziranga, Assam:

Kaziranga National Park is a tiger sanctuary and is home to Bengal tigers in India. This park has a higher density of prey than other parks in India. There have been no concrete signs of white tigers in Kaziranga, but it is sometimes reported that wild white tigers have been witnessed crossing over from Assam, Bihar, and West Bengal.

Facts about the White Tiger

1. White tigers are neither a different species nor a subspecies. They are descendants of the Bengal tiger, who have a familiar orange coat with dark stripes. Their white colour is just a recessive genetic trait that gives them blue eyes. Occasionally, a white tiger is born when two mating golden tigers carry a recessive gene. If one or both of the mating tigers are white, the chances are higher.
2. Like its cousin, the Bengal tiger, the white tiger is a fast runner. They weigh 180-220 kg and are fast and agile when hunting at night. They also enjoy a cool soak in the water and, unlike other cats, are good at swimming.
3. In 1951, Maharaja Martand Singh spotted the first white tiger in India. The records of the Rewa Palace in the first half of the 20th century contain sightings of up to eight white tigers. All the white tigers have been bred, and the Maharaja has also raised white tigers and exported the cubs to distant lands.
4. Over the years, many zoos around the world in San Francisco, Bristol, Tampa Bay, Lowry Park, and Cincinnati have non-breed white tigers as exotic attractions for tourists. However, due to trade and breeding, these creatures have become even rarer, and many of the offspring have developed serious malformations. Wild white tigers have not been witnessed for over 50 years. In January 2021, a White Tiger was born at the Nicaragua Zoo. The tiger's mother, abandoned by the circus, rejected the white tiger cub kept by humans. The cub was the first white tiger born in Nicaragua to a pair of yellow and black Bengal Tigers.

FAQs about White Tiger

Who wrote the White Tiger book?

White Tiger is a novel by Indian writer Aravind Adiga. Published in 2008, it won the 40th Manbooker Prize in the same year. The White Tiger novel provides a dark and humorous perspective on India's class struggles in a globalized world.

How many white tigers are left in the world?

According to the Indian Tiger Welfare Association, only about 200 white tigers remain in the world.

What is the situation of the white tiger in India?

White tigers have been reported in the wild in West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, especially in the former Rewa province and the Sunderbans.