Ladakh's Kargil district has recorded the first photographic evidence of the Central Asian lynx. Previously documented only in Leh district, this medium-sized wild cat was captured on camera during a study focused on flagship species like the snow leopard.
The Central Asian lynx (Lynx lynx isabellinus), a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, is listed as a Schedule I species in India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Despite the Eurasian lynx being categorized as of least concern by the IUCN Red List, its Central Asian subspecies has a very low population in India. Recently, it gained increased protection status under Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild Animals.