Across India, camera traps are doing what people often cannot do, wait without disturbance and record wildlife without bias.
They are revealing rare animals moving through familiar forests, and species appearing where they were once thought absent. Most images are grainy, often taken at night, but together they point to a larger story of adaptation.
Here is what camera traps have uncovered across India over the last five years.
April 2026 — Rusty-Spotted Cat recorded in MP
In April 2026, a camera trap in the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve captured a fleeting image of the rusty-spotted cat — the world’s smallest wild feline.
The image marked the first confirmed record of the species in the reserve. It came from a large-scale survey (February–March 2024) by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and WWF-India, originally aimed at estimating tiger populations.
The image marked the first confirmed record of the species in the reserve. Photograph: (Mongabay-India)
Barely the size of a kitten, the species was long thought confined to southern India. Recent camera-trap evidence shows it is far more widespread, now recorded across central and northern regions.
March 2026 — Caracal confirmed in Jaisalmer
In the arid stretches of Jaisalmer’s border belt, camera traps confirmed three caracals — a rare wild cat known for its tufted ears and powerful leaps.
The caracal is a medium-sized, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India. Photograph: (Sanjay4India1)
Once close to disappearing from its historical range in India, the species is seldom seen. The images also identified two previously unknown individuals, strengthening the case for focused conservation.
Locally known as “Padang,” the endangered caracal occasionally preys on sheep and goats.
January 24, 2026 — Asiatic Wildcat recorded near Aravallis
On January 24, 2026, a camera trap in the Mangar forest — a shrinking Aravalli patch near Gurugram — captured an Asiatic wildcat.
It was the first confirmed record of the species in this landscape.
The Asiatic Wildcat closely resembles a domestic cat but slightly larger with longer legs. Photograph: (Mongabay India)
The sighting came from a monitoring project mapping animal movement across fragmented forests. The image showed a solitary male, active at night.
Mangar lies on the edge of rapid urban expansion, surrounded by roads, mining scars, and human activity.
November 2025 — Sloth Bears in Purulia (West Bengal)
In late 2025, camera traps in Purulia’s forests captured repeated images of sloth bears.
Recorded in the Kotshila–Jhalda range and analysed in November 2025, the images confirmed at least four adults — up from a single individual documented in 2022.
While primarily eating termites and ants (up to 95% of their diet in dry seasons), Sloth Bears also consume fruit, honey, and flowers. Photograph: (Mongabay India)
For years, their presence in south Bengal was anecdotal. These images provide the first clear confirmation.
September 2025 — Pallas’s Cat recorded in Arunachal Pradesh
In 2025, camera traps in high-altitude Arunachal Pradesh recorded the Pallas’s cat — a first for India.
Placed above 16,000 feet, the cameras captured one of the world’s least-seen wild cats, adapted to cold desert conditions.
The Pallas Cat inhabits cold, rocky deserts at elevations up to 5,000 meters, feeding mainly on rodents. Photograph: (WWF India)
The images came from an extensive survey across rugged Himalayan terrain. Until then, India was not part of the species’ confirmed range.
Early 2025 — Clouded Leopard & Marbled Cat in Assam
In early 2025, camera traps inside Dehing Patkai National Park recorded two elusive wild cats — the clouded leopard and the marbled cat.
Captured during a sustained survey in dense rainforest, both species are listed on the IUCN Red List and are difficult to study.
Usually, wildlife camera trap is a camera left at a location, rigged so that any approaching wild animal will automatically trigger the shutter release. Photograph: (Chandra Mohan Patowary)
Multiple individuals were recorded, reinforcing the park’s importance as one of India’s last lowland rainforests.
September 2025 — Snow Leopard & Common Leopard in Arunachal
In 2025, camera traps in Arunachal Pradesh captured a snow leopard and a common leopard using the same scent-marking site.
The images came from a months-long survey above 4,200 metre, with both predators recorded at different times.
The camera trap data reveals potential competition for resources and that common leopards are encroaching on high-altitude snow leopard habitats Photograph: (istock)
Snow leopards occupy alpine zones, while common leopards are typically found lower.
The overlap suggests shifting movement patterns that would be difficult to observe directly.
December 2024 — Musk Deer in North Bengal
On a December night in 2024, a camera trap in Neora Valley National Park captured a musk deer at 3,112 metres.
Reported in November 2025, the image marked the first confirmed record of the species in West Bengal in nearly 70 years, last seen in 1955.
The elusive Himalayan musk deer, is categorised as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Photograph: (Wildlife Institute of India)
Captured during a long-term survey, the cameras recorded six consecutive images in one night.
Musk deer remain among the Himalayas’ most elusive mammals.
July 2024 — Marbled Cat in Assam
In July 2024, a camera trap in Kakoi Reserve Forest, Assam, captured the first photographic evidence of a marbled cat in the area.
Set up for a biodiversity survey, the cameras recorded a semi-arboreal predator moving through a dense canopy at night.
A collaborative, months-long survey by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and local forest divisions in 2025 resulted in the first photographic evidence of the cat in these specific areas.. Photograph: (Chandra Mohan Patowary)
The species is listed as near threatened and depends on intact forest cover.
June 2023 — Indian Grey Wolves in Bengal
In 2023, camera traps near Durgapur’s industrial belt captured a pack of Indian grey wolves.
Placed in the Madhaiganj forest area, the cameras recorded multiple individuals over consecutive days, offering the first clear documentation in the region.
Locally known as the ‘Hural’, not much was known about the Indian grey wolf from the state of West Bengal. Photograph: (Wildlife Trust of India)
The images indicated a functioning pack of around 9–10 individuals.
What camera traps reveal
Together, these images shift the focus from whether species exist to how they adapt.
Camera traps work where humans cannot, at night, in dense forests and extreme terrain, filling critical data gaps and, in some cases, revealing recovery where decline was expected.
