CZA Approves Proposal for Establishing India's White Tiger Breeding Centre in Madhya Pradesh.
National
In January 2025, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), based in New Delhi (Delhi) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), approved the proposal to establish India's 1st white tiger breeding centre in the Govindgarh area of Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh (MP).
- This approval came after recommendations from the expert committee of CZA during its 114th meeting in December 2024, followed by the technical committee's approval during its 112th meeting in December 2024.
- The new white tiger breeding facility will be developed as part of the revised Master (Layout) Plan for the Maharaja Martand Singh Judeo White Tiger Safari and Zoo, located in Mukundpur, Satna (MP).
- In 2011, the Government of India (GOI) had given its in-principle approval for establishing a white tiger breeding centre in MP as part of conservation efforts.
Main Point :- (i) The first white tiger was spotted in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh (MP) in 1915 but sadly died in 1920. In 1951, Maharaja Martand Singh, the former ruler of Rewa, discovered a white tiger in the Govindgarh jungle and named it 'Mohan.' This discovery led to the initiation of conservation efforts, which resulted in the protection and breeding of white tigers in the area.
(ii) The white tiger is not a separate subspecies but a color variant of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), or a hybrid of the two. It is characterized by white fur, dark brown or black stripes, and blue eyes, with the white coloration resulting from a genetic mutation known as 'leucism.'
(iii) As per the 2022 tiger census, Madhya Pradesh (MP) has the highest number of tigers, followed by Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra. Additionally, MP is home to the world’s first white tiger safari, established in 2016 at Mukundpur in Satna district.
About Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
Chairman : Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, MoEFCC
Headquarters : New Delhi
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