How a rare black tiger from India’s Similipal became National Geographic’s iconic cover photo

_{Sunday 21st September 2025}

… big cat and the photographer’s dedication. Yadav spent 120 days tracking and photographing these unique tigers, found only in Similipal

Jonathan Downes

Cryptozoologist, naturalist, musician, singer, composer, poet, novelist and Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology since 1992. Jon was born in Portsmouth in 1959 and spent his infancy in Nigeria and his childhood in Hong Kong. His wife Corinna died of cancer in 2020, leaving him with two stepdaughters and a six year old granddaughter called Evelyn.