The Eurasian lynx, one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx has been photographed for the first time in Sikkim, in what represents only the second photographic record of the species in the entire Eastern Himalayan region.WWF India informed that the photograph was obtained in the month of January 2026 from a camera-trap deployed at 5,250 metres on the Tso Lhamo plateau in Mangan district. Although anecdotal reports of the Eurasian lynx had circulated in the region for years, this discovery provides 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, Sikkim and WWF-India.This finding follows the first-ever photographic record of the Eurasian lynx in Arunachal Pradesh in 2025, documented during a joint survey by WWF-India and the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Arunachal Pradesh. Together, the two records substantially advance understanding of the species’ distribution in the Eastern Himalayas, a region where it has been almost entirely undocumented.“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. The Lachen Dzumsa’s cooperation in facilitating access to these remote areas has been important to this work,” Udai Gurung, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Forest and Environment Department, Sikkim.The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized wild cat distinguished by its characteristic ear tufts and short tail, and is well-adapted to cold, high-altitude environments. The Tso Lhamo plateau, a high-altitude cold desert ecosystem characterised by extreme climatic conditions and low human density, evidently supports a broader assemblage of trans-Himalayan wildlife than previously documented.The region nevertheless faces serious conservation pressures.“Following our 2025 record in Arunachal Pradesh, the Sikkim record confirms that the Eurasian lynx has a broader presence in the Eastern Himalayas than was 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. Sustaining long-term, systematic monitoring across these landscapes is essential if we are to understand and protect what is here,” said Dr Rishi Kumar Sharma, Head, Himalayas Program, WWF-India.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 most remote and least-studied ecosystems in the Indian Himalaya.