After a long silence, today’s jungle column hopes to talk about the very rare black tiger cub that was recently found in the Yala National Park. This black tiger cub, which has been scientifically revealed to be born due to a genetic mutation, has become a major topic among many wildlife lovers. Although there have been reports of black tigers in the past, the animals were found dead in all cases.
In such a background, it is very important for all of us who love the environment to pay close attention to this rare animal that emerged from Yala Park. The reason is that protecting this black tiger from the safari jeeps carrying tourists and the hundreds of different vehicles that enter the Yala National Park on a daily basis should be our prime responsibility.
Instead of applying plaster solutions, it is the duty of all authorities including the Minister of Wildlife to apply a sustainable program to protect this animal. The wildlife conservation department has taken steps to temporarily close the Yala Jamburagala road where the animal was spotted for two weeks with the aim of protecting the black tiger. But if it is a temporary measure, the writer believes that a more formal program should be implemented for the protection of the black tiger.
Yala Leopard Diary has introduced this black tiger cub as a 6-month-old male and its mother as ‘Machi’. The record of a black tiger, which is extremely rare not only in Sri Lanka but also in other Asian countries, in such a context, the emergence of the black tiger from Yala Park adds a very high value to our country’s tourism industry. This black tiger cub will undoubtedly increase the number of local and foreign tourists visiting Yala Park who are interested in tigers and leopards.
There is also an opinion that such black tigers are born through sexual intercourse between male and female animals in the same tiger family. The same blood type of the animal’s mother and father has also been identified as a reason.
The writer is of the opinion that tourism regulation and regular patrols should be implemented as a suitable measure to protect this rare animal which has increase the attraction of tourists. Through this, we can protect the black tiger cub, which is such a great resource, and we can also attract more foreign exchange to our country through the increase in tourist attraction.
The area where the black tiger cub was seen is frequented by several regular tigers, and the authorities should pay attention to whether the black tiger cub is threatened by those animals.
Finally, let us note here that authorities, guides, wildlife controllers, safari drivers and local and foreign tourists should pay close attention to protect this wonderful gift from nature for future generations for the betterment of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
