Guwahati: In a landmark discovery, a comprehensive wildlife survey in Arunachal Pradesh has captured the first-ever photographic evidence of the elusive Pallas’s cat in the state, marking a milestone for wildlife research in the eastern Himalayas.
Conducted by WWF-India in 2024 with support from the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department and local communities, the survey documented not just Pallas’s cat but also five other wild cats, snow leopard, common leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, and marbled cat, above 4,200 metres.
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This makes the region one of the most unique landscapes for wild cat diversity in the world.
The team, led by Rohan Pandit, Taku Sai, Nisam Luxom, and Pemba Tsering Romo under the guidance of Dr. Rishi Kumar Sharma, deployed 136 camera traps across 83 rugged sites in West Kameng and Tawang districts, covering 2,000 km² of high-altitude rangelands
Over eight months, through extreme weather and difficult terrain, the survey not only photographed these elusive species but also set new national elevation records.
Researchers documented the common leopard (4,600 masl), clouded leopard (4,650 masl), marbled cat (4,326 masl), Himalayan wood owl (4,194 masl), and grey-headed flying squirrel (4,506 masl) at the highest altitudes ever recorded in India, with some sightings surpassing known global limits.
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The sighting of Pallas’s cat is particularly significant.
Globally classified as “Least Concern” but rarely studied, this cold-adapted feline has previously been recorded in Sikkim, Bhutan, and eastern Nepal.
Its confirmation in Arunachal Pradesh extends the species’ known range in the eastern Himalayas, offering new opportunities for conservation science.
In a rare behavioural observation, camera traps recorded both a snow leopard and a common leopard scent-marking at the same location, providing fresh insights into how big cats navigate fragile alpine habitats.
The survey also captured glimpses of the Brokpa herding community and their livestock, highlighting centuries-old traditions of coexistence between people and wildlife in the high Himalayas.
“This discovery is a powerful reminder of how little we still know about life in the high Himalayas,” said Dr. Rishi Kumar Sharma of WWF-India.
“That a single landscape can support snow leopards, clouded leopards, marbled cats, and now Pallas’s cat speaks to its extraordinary richness.”
Forest Department officials hailed the findings as proof of Arunachal Pradesh’s status as a global biodiversity hotspot.
They emphasized that community-led conservation, built on traditional knowledge and scientific monitoring, remains key to protecting fragile mountain ecosystems.
The initiative forms part of WWF-India’s broader efforts in the Western Arunachal Landscape, where projects focus on snow leopard and red panda conservation, wetland protection, and the pioneering Community Conserved Area model developed with Monpa communities since 2004.
Together, these integrated efforts highlight how science and local stewardship can safeguard biodiversity while strengthening the resilience of mountain communities.