By Aimee Braniff Cree
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME images by a delighted photographer show one of only four “golden tigers” known to live in the wild.
Images show the incredibly rare beast strolling through the foliage and peaking round corners at photographers during the perfect golden hour light.
There are currently believed to be fewer than 30 of these rare tigers in the world. Most of them are in captivity with four believed to remain in the wild.
While no official name has been designated for this very rare colour, as-well-as being called “golden tigers” great cats like the one pictured are sometimes referred to as the “strawberry tigers” due to the strawberry-blonde colouration.
The once-in-a lifetime images were captured by wildlife photographer Sumon Das (36) from Kolkata, India.
Sumon photographed the elusive tiger at Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve, Assam, India on his Canon EOS R5, and 600mm F4 Lens.
“Every year I make it a point to visit Kaziranga National Park located in the state of Assam in India. This year I had received information regarding the location of a golden tiger,” said Sumon.
“They are just four in number and all of them are found in Kaziranga.
“Once I had the location I decided to wait it out and kept my ears and eyes open for any significant sign be it alarm calls or pug marks.
“The chance I took paid off and I spotted the tiger. My first glimpse of the tiger was when it was having water but we were at a distance and the tiger was behind the tall elephant grasses and my camera was not able to focus.
“I inched forward and just when it looked at my vehicle I captured my first image of the golden tiger.
“Not a typical sight at all. As I said there are just four of these tigers in the wild and sightings are very rare.
“It was a surreal feeling and one lives and thrives to become a wildlife photographer to document such moments. One of the best moments of my life if not the best moment so far in my career as a wildlife photographer.”
According to Sumon, the Golden tiger has a recessive gene which makes the golden tiger unique and gives a distinct colour to its coat and fur.
“Tigers rule the Indian Subcontinent and are the King of the Jungles as we like to call it but there was a time when only 1,409 tigers were left in the wild,” he said.
“Because of the conservation effort now that number has increased to around 3,000.
“Capturing different behaviours of tigers is intriguing for any wildlife photographer and also they camouflage so well that they are difficult to find.
“If the tiger is in a mood they can give you the best moments in your lives as a wildlife photographer.
“It is moments like this which drive me every day to visit different National Parks and capture unique images and document rare occurrences in the wild.
“I love animals and photography is an important medium to reach people. If people are aware they also can play an active part in the conservation of wild animals.”
ENDS
