With the inauguration of world’s maiden White Tiger Safari, the rare breed of the big cat has returned to its place of origin in Madhya Pradesh’s Vindhya region where the feline was first discovered over a century ago.
So emotionally attached the locals felt about the feline’s return to its place of origin that notwithstanding the severe heat wave more than a lakh people turned up to witness the inaugural event here on Sunday.
It was an important political issue until last Assembly election in the State which forced leaders across parties to resolve for the white tigers’ return to the native Vindhya region.
“Our Vindhya region first introduced the white tigers to the world and people are emotionally attached to the feline. The State, however, lost its last white tiger in 1976 after the death of Virat and since then, we were waiting for its return here. The CM has fulfilled his promise and the State has got its due after 40 years,” said Gulshan Mishra, a local farmer.
In 1915, the then ruler of Rewa princely state Maharaj Gulab Singh spotted the world’s first white tiger and brought it to his palace in Rewa. The tiger died in 1920.
In 1951, Gulab’s son Martand Singh spotted a white tiger cub and named it Mohan. He arranged for its breeding so that the world could be introduced to the rare species of the big cat. All the known white tigers in the world now are descendants of Mohan.
“If there is any white tiger in the world, it is certainly related to its forefather Mohan,” a zoo safari official said.
State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, paying heed to the demands of locals, said the world’s first White Tiger Safari in Mukundpur would be named after Maharaja Martand Singh, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.
Jairam Shukla, author of coffee table book ‘Tale of the White Tiger’ said: “It is a progeny of Royal Bengal Tiger that has got the amazing white hue because of a gene mutation. It is not a different species, but a genuine Indian tiger.”
“Its zoological name is Panthera tigris-tigris. Both the white and the yellow tigers come from the same stock, but with a hereditary chromosomal change. The habit and habitat are the same, the life cycle is the same. Normal age ranges from 16-20 years,” he said.
The white tiger has always thrilled and mesmerised the world. Majority of researches on wildlife focused on this species. The mystery for them was how the yellow tiger turned white, making the gene mutation the focal point of their research at large, Mr. Shukla said.
“When Martand Singh first captured a white tiger cub in his hunting drive, probably he had not thought that he was going to create history. Since its capture, the fame of this white tiger (Mohan) was spread all over the world. Wildlife scientists from across the world made a dash for Govindgarh in Rewa to unravel this mystery of nature,” he said. - PTI
