‘More Elusive Than Snow Leopards’: Trail Cams Spot Ultra-Rare Animal in India

Researchers recently captured the first photographic evidence of the rare Pallas’s cat in Himachal Pradesh, a state in the northern part of India within the western Himalayas. The Snow Leopard Trust says Pallas’s cats remain understudied, and the new report from the organization’s India team adds to the body of scientific knowledge about these elusive animals.

Videos by Outdoors

“A small feline perhaps more elusive than the snow leopard, the [Pallas’s cat’s] full distribution is still largely unknown,” writes the Snow Leopard Trust in a Facebook post sharing the trail-cam photos. “An exciting discovery in the province of Himachal Pradesh, India, underscores the need for focused research and action for this little relative of our favorite big cat.”

Pallas’s cats, also called manuls, are secretive wild cats with short legs, dense fur, and flat ears. Their known geographic distribution includes montane grasslands and steppes of Central Asia, especially in Mongolia and China.

Three camera-trap sites in rocky habitats of Himachal Pradesh at elevations up to 4,100 meters (13,500 feet) captured Pallas’s cats during the scientists’ survey period, proving they’re there, too. Researchers also report sightings of snow leopards, red foxes, stone martens, and pikas in this diverse area.

See the first photos of rare Pallas’s cats in this region of India here:

Caught on Trail Cam: Puma Sees Its Reflection and Doesn’t Like It