Indian photographer's rare black tiger shot graces National Geographic cover

Indian photographer Prasenjeet Yadav's image of a black tiger from Odisha's Similipal National Park has featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine's upcoming October 2025 edition.

The striking photograph, captured after months of patient tracking in the dense forests, showcases one of the world's rarest big cats. Known as pseudo-melanistic tigers, these black tigers are found only in Similipal, where almost half of the reserve's 30 tigers possess rare genetic mutation.

"Being out in the forests of Similipal as a National Geographic photographer and Explorer has been a true privilege. I saw firsthand the Odisha Forest Department's dedicated, on-ground management and the commitment of its officers to safeguarding the future of these majestic tigers.

"Photographing T12 was intense and humbling, with days and months of patience distilled into a single moment. Now to see that story on a National Geographic Magazine's international cover is an honour and a reminder of why we document India's extraordinary wild heart,” Yadav said in a statement.

National Geographic editor-in-chief Nathan Lump said the story illustrated the complex realities of conservation.

"The subject of this month's cover feature, from photographer, writer, and National Geographic Explorer, Prasenjeet Yadav, is a surprising corollary to that success story: the tale of a great male tiger with a rare genetic mutation, which has highlighted what happens when an animal population rebounds but remains sequestered in a reserve, without access to a diverse gene pool," he added.

Alok Jain of JioStar, which also oversees the National Geographic channel in India, called the image “an elusive and almost mythical sight” that continues the magazine's tradition of groundbreaking storytelling.

The rare honour places Yadav among the select group of Indian photographers whose work has adorned the magazine's cover in its 135-year illustrious history, bringing global attention both to India's fragile ecosystems and to the people working to safeguard them.