Tiger State Madhya Pradesh is all set to have world’s first White Tiger Safari. These rare felines are being reared in Mukundpur Zoo and Rescue Centre in Satna district of Rewa division. It will be dedicated to the public on April 3, by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and other senior Ministers.
Elated over the development, sources informed that the zoo will have three white tigers, including a male named Raghu and two females — Vindhya and Radha.
The charisma of white tigers had been mesmerising since it was first spotted in the region in 1951. As per legend, the then King Maharaj Martand Singh during his hunting trip, found a white tiger cub from a cave near River Komar in the Vindhyan region. It was brought to the Govindgarh Palace, where it was tamed and named “Mohan”.
Govindgarh with its white tigers caught attention from far and wide. In 1960, US expressed its interest in white tiger following which a delegation visited Rewa. The white tigress “Mohini” reached Washington from Govindgarh and the then US President W D Eisenhower was known to have received her.
Further, when Mohan died in December 18, 1969, a holiday was declared in local schools and markets were closed as a mark of respect for the dead white tiger.
The white feline since then had become a subject of research by wildlife biologists, said the experts. For the researchers at large, the mystery is how the yellow tiger turned white, and what caused this gene mutation or the hereditary chromosomal change.
Yet, It shares the same zoological name is Panthera tigris tigris as its yellow counterpart. Both are believed to come from the same stock, said the experts. Even their habit and the habitat are the same, and so is their life cycle ranging from 16-20 years.