In a groundbreaking wildlife survey spanning the high-altitude rangelands of Arunachal Pradesh, researchers have captured the first-ever photographic evidence of the elusive Pallas cat, underscoring the region’s astounding diversity of wildcats. In addition to documenting snow leopards, common leopards, clouded leopards, leopard cats, and marbled cats living over 4,200 meters, WWF-India conducted the survey in cooperation with the state forest administration and local residents.
According to Nyilyang Tam, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, “this discovery represents a milestone for wildlife research in the eastern Himalayas.” 136 video traps were set up at 83 locations throughout 2,000 square kilometers in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng as part of the research, which was supported by the UK government through the Darwin Initiative. This allowed for the uncommon observation of high-altitude animals in harsh environments.
The survey discovered a number of species that might have surpassed recognized global limits, such as the grey-headed flying squirrel at 4,606 meters, the marbled cat at 4,326 meters, the Himalayan wood owl at 4,194 meters, the common leopard at 4,600 meters, and the clouded leopard at 4,650 meters. Just below its absolute global limit of 5,050 meters, the Pallas cat—one of the most elusive and least studied felines—was sighted. Archita Baruah Bhattacharyaa, director of WWF-India for Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, stated, “These findings highlight the significance of science-based, community-led conservation and reveal the remarkable richness of Arunachal’s high-altitude ecosystems.”
