Three arrested with skin of melanistic tiger in Odisha's Similipal

Forest officials in Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve have arrested three persons and seized the skin of a rare melanistic tiger, the third reported case of black tiger poaching in the reserve.

Forest officials of Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) have arrested three persons and seized the skin of a rare melanistic tiger, officials said on Thursday.

Officials said this was the third reported case of black tiger poaching in Similipal, the only place in the world where melanistic tigers are found in the wild.

Two similar poaching cases had earlier surfaced in 2025 and March this year, they said.

The skin, seized during a raid on Wednesday, is suspected to be that of a two-year-old tiger cub, STR deputy director Sumit Kar said.

He said the raid was conducted on the Basipitha-Bhupat Road based on intelligence inputs about a deal involving wildlife body parts.

The accused were caught while allegedly negotiating the deal, he said.

The arrested persons were identified as Gangadhar Murmu (62), Ramdas Hembram (40) and Bhima Baskey (40), all residents of Mayurbhanj district.

Officials also seized three motorcycles and two mobile phones from them.

Kar said further investigation was underway to trace the wider poaching network and identify others involved in the case.