India, Aug. 12 -- Camera traps set in Ranikhet Reserve Forest to study yellow-throated martens yielded an unexpected daylight image of a leopard cat near Chaubatia Garden.

Typically nocturnal and elusive, the cat's 11 am appearance highlights how edge habitats between forest and farmland support adaptable predators and shows how camera traps reveal hidden biodiversity beyond the primary study species.

We set up camera traps in the Ranikhet Reserve Forest in October 2025, hoping they would tell the story about the yellow-throated marten - a bold, brightly coloured member of the weasel family that moves through the mid-elevation Himalayan forests with a confidence few other small carnivores can match. The marten was the reason for the pro...