Overview
- A camera trap captured the first confirmed photographic record of the Eurasian lynx in Sikkim in January 2026, representing only the second documented photo of the species in the Eastern Himalayas.
- The image was taken at about 5,250 metres on the Tso Lhamo plateau during a long-term snow leopard and rangeland monitoring programme run by the Sikkim Forest and Environment Department and WWF‑India.
- State forest officials called the confirmation a major milestone for conservation and WWF‑India said the Sikkim and a 2025 Arunachal record together indicate a broader eastern presence than previously understood.
- Officials identified immediate management priorities for the Tso Lhamo landscape, including traffic and waste control, vaccination and sterilisation of free‑ranging dogs, and livestock health measures to reduce threats to wildlife.
- The monitoring programme continues to collect data on snow leopards and other trans‑Himalayan species but has not released population estimates for the lynx, so sustained camera‑trap surveys and targeted conservation actions are the next steps.