This animal is the result of a gene mutation that alters its fur color. Around the world, only about 30 individuals of this species are cared for in zoos.
Indian wildlife photographer and tour guide Gaurav Ramnarayanan set out on a photo expedition in the late afternoon of January 24, 2024.
The 25-year-old led a private tour to Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, spanning 430 square kilometers in Assam, northeastern India.
He came here with the hope of capturing stunning photographs of wildlife, including the world’s largest population of the one-horned rhinoceros and hundreds of colorful bird species.
However, while driving the jeep in the late afternoon, the group suddenly heard a call from a deer.
Gaurav Ramnarayanan turned the vehicle around a bend before stopping. About 700 meters away was a golden tiger.
Gaurav, who has guided wildlife tours and photographed big cats since 2016 and founded the travel company The Wildside, remarked: “At first, when I saw this tiger, it didn’t look like a typical Bengal tiger. With nearly 10 years of wildlife photography experience and having seen enough tiger species worldwide, I immediately knew this tiger was unusual.”
His suspicions were confirmed when the photographer looked at the predator through his camera lens. With its golden stripes, it was definitely a rare golden tiger.
“The tiger decided to approach us, with no intention of attacking or harming us but simply continuing on its path to mark its territory,” Gaurav Ramnarayanan recounted, adding that he managed to capture stunning shots of the tiger when it was only 100 meters away from the jeep.
After posting the picture on social media, many expressed amazement and delight at the rare golden fur of the tiger.
According to scientists, the golden tiger – also known as the golden tabby tiger or peach tiger – is not a subspecies. They result from a gene mutation that alters their fur color. And although beautiful, their presence also has a darker side.
Golden tigers are not a subspecies but rather a result of a gene mutation altering their fur color.
Uma Ramakrishnan, a professor of ecology at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in India, stated that golden tigers, like white tigers or snow tigers, are the result of a recessive genetic trait that manifests as a gene mutation producing color.
In white tigers, this mutation suppresses color, while in golden tigers, the mutation in the “wideband” gene extends the production of pheomelanin – a yellow-red pigment – during fur growth.
In the wild, for every 10,000 tiger cubs born, fewer than one exhibit white fur, and the characteristics of golden fur are even rarer. This is why conservationists are concerned that the appearance of these golden tigers may signal an increase in inbreeding among isolated tiger populations.
Photographer Gaurav Ramnarayanan noted that these unusual fur patterns are often seen in captive tiger populations, which typically have familial relationships.
According to Professor Uma Ramakrishnan, while the mutated fur color does not adversely affect the tiger’s health, inbreeding can lead to physical ailments, as well as other gene mutations that may weaken the tiger’s immune response to diseases.
According to some reports, it is estimated that around 30 golden tigers are being kept in captivity worldwide, and Kaziranga National Park (India) claims to have four golden tigers.
