Pallas’s Cat Recorded for First Time in Arunachal Pradesh

The Assam Times reports that the elusive Pallas’s cat, a small wild feline native to Central and East Asia, has been recorded in Arunachal Pradesh for the first time. Wildlife observers say the sighting expands the known range of the species within India, which previously had confirmed records only from the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir. The discovery underscores the rich biodiversity of Arunachal Pradesh’s forested landscapes and highlights the need for continued monitoring of its fragile habitats. Conservationists note that the cat is listed as Near‑Threatened on the IUCN Red List, making any new population data valuable for future protection measures. Authorities are expected to verify the finding through further field surveys and camera‑trap evidence.