Guwahati: In a significant wildlife discovery for the Eastern Himalayas, the elusive Eurasian lynx has been photographed for the first time in Sikkim, marking only the second photographic record of the species in the entire region.
The rare wild cat was captured on a camera trap in January this year at an altitude of 5,250 metres on the remote Tso Lhamo plateau in Mangan district.
The photograph provides the first confirmed evidence of the species’ presence in Sikkim, ending years of anecdotal reports about the lynx inhabiting the state’s high-altitude landscapes.
The record emerged from a long-term snow leopard and rangeland monitoring programme jointly undertaken by the Sikkim Forest and Environment Department and WWF-India to study the distribution of snow leopards and other high-altitude wildlife.
The discovery comes barely a year after the first-ever photographic record of the Eurasian lynx in the Eastern Himalayas was documented in Arunachal Pradesh in 2025.
Conservationists say the two records together suggest that the species has a wider distribution across the Eastern Himalayas than previously believed.
“The photographic confirmation of the Eurasian lynx in the Tso Lhamo plateau is a proud moment for Sikkim. It highlights the ecological significance of our high-altitude rangelands and reinforces our commitment to protecting these fragile ecosystems,” said Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Sikkim, Udai Gurung.
A medium-sized wild cat known for its distinctive tufted ears and short tail, the Eurasian lynx is adapted to cold and rugged mountain environments. The latest findings also underscore the rich biodiversity of the Tso Lhamo plateau, a cold desert ecosystem that supports an impressive assemblage of wildlife.
Camera traps deployed in the area also recorded species such as the snow leopard, Pallas’s cat, Tibetan wolf, Tibetan sand fox, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan argali and southern kiang, highlighting the plateau’s importance as one of India’s least-studied high-altitude ecosystems.
WWF-India’s Head of Himalayas Programme, Dr. Rishi Kumar Sharma, said the Sikkim record confirms that the Eurasian lynx has a broader presence in the Eastern Himalayas than previously understood.
“What we are documenting at Tso Lhamo is not a single species occurrence; it is a high-altitude ecosystem of exceptional conservation value,” he said, stressing the need for long-term monitoring to better understand and protect these fragile landscapes.
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The survey, however, also flagged emerging conservation concerns, including increasing vehicular movement, waste management issues and a growing population of free-ranging dogs, which could threaten wildlife and livestock in the region.
For conservationists, the sighting of the elusive lynx is more than just a rare photographic record—it is another reminder that the remote high-altitude landscapes of the Eastern Himalayas still hold many secrets waiting to be uncovered.
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