By Priyanka Roshan | July 21, 2025
Despite centuries of encroachment, India’s wild landscapes still harbour some of the world’s rarest animals. From Ladakh’s icy heights to Kerala’s rainforests, these elusive creatures survive in fragile sanctuaries.
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High in Ladakh’s icy wilderness, Hemis National Park offers winter sightings of the elusive snow leopard, a solitary predator whose pale coat blends seamlessly with the craggy Himalayan terrain.
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Amid Singalila’s misty ridges near the Nepal border, red pandas navigate dense bamboo groves. These shy, flame-coloured mammals are best spotted during early morning treks at high altitudes.
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The lion-tailed macaque, with its silver mane and intelligent eyes, survives in Silent Valley’s ancient rainforest. The park’s isolation and dense canopy provide sanctuary to this endangered primate.
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In Rajasthan’s arid expanse, Desert National Park remains one of the last refuges of the Great Indian Bustard, a critically endangered grassland bird known for its imposing stature.
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Eravikulam’s steep slopes in the Western Ghats support the Nilgiri Tahr. This wild mountain goat, with curved horns, is often sighted grazing near cliffs during early morning hours.
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In Velavadar’s vast grasslands, blackbucks move in elegant herds. Their spiral horns and swift strides make them one of India’s most graceful antelopes, now confined to select protected areas.
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Shy and nocturnal, the scaly Indian pangolin is rarely seen. Satpura’s undisturbed forests and active conservation patrols offer it a safe, though still threatened, habitat within central India.
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Manas National Park shelters the golden-hued Gee’s langur. This rare monkey, found only in Assam and Bhutan, clings to forest fragments threatened by human expansion and dwindling tree cover.
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India’s only ape, the Hoolock Gibbon, swings across tree canopies in Hoollongapar. Its survival depends entirely on unbroken forest corridors, where its haunting morning calls echo through dense greenery.
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The last remaining population of Asiatic lions roams Gujarat’s Gir forest. Unlike their African relatives, these lions are smaller and less maned, yet symbolize India’s most storied conservation effort.
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