Gangtok, Junly 1 : The Eurasian lynx has been photographed for the first time in Sikkim, marking only the second photographic record of the species anywhere in the Eastern Himalayan region. The image was captured by a camera trap deployed at an altitude of 5,250 metres on the Tso Lhamo plateau in Mangan district, in January 2026.
While anecdotal reports of the elusive wild cat have circulated in the region for years, this is the first confirmed photographic evidence of its presence in the state.
The record was obtained as part of a long-term snow leopard and rangeland monitoring programme jointly led by the Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim, and WWF-India. The programme tracks population trends and seasonal distribution of snow leopards and associated high-altitude species, while also assessing the ecological condition of trans-Himalayan rangelands.
The Sikkim sighting follows the first ever photographic record of the Eurasian lynx in the Eastern Himalayas, documented in Arunachal Pradesh in 2025 during a joint survey by WWF-India and the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Together, the two records significantly expand scientific understanding of the species distribution in a region where it has remained almost entirely undocumented.
Sri Udai Gurung, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Forest and Environment Department, Sikkim, called the confirmation a proud moment for the state, adding that it highlights the ecological significance of Sikkim’s high-altitude rangelands. He also credited the Lachen Dzumsa, the traditional local governing body, for facilitating access to the remote survey areas.
Dr Rishi Kumar Sharma, Head of the Himalayas Programme at WWF-India, said the Tso Lhamo findings point to more than a single species occurrence, describing the plateau as a high-altitude ecosystem of exceptional conservation value that requires sustained, long-term monitoring.
The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized wild cat known for its distinctive ear tufts and short tail, well adapted to cold, high-altitude terrain. The same monitoring exercise recorded a wider assemblage of trans-Himalayan wildlife on the Tso Lhamo plateau, including snow leopard, Pallas’s cat, Tibetan wolf, Tibetan sand fox, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan argali, and southern kiang, underscoring the plateau’s importance as a wildlife habitat.
The survey also flagged conservation concerns facing the region, recommending wildlife-friendly traffic management, sustainable waste management systems, and regular sterilisation and vaccination drives for the growing population of free-ranging dogs, along with health camps for livestock.
The monitoring programme continues to generate data on the distribution and population status of snow leopards and associated species across Sikkim’s high-altitude landscapes, informing science-based conservation planning in one of the least studied ecosystems in the Indian Himalaya.
