Meet the clouded leopard
Scientific name: Neofelis nebulosa
A clouded leopard. Image: Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Clouded leopards are medium-sized cats that live in rainforests of Southeast Asia. They are called “clouded” because of their cloud-shaped spots, which help them disappear into their forest habitats. They are arboreal, meaning that they spend a lot of time in trees, where they hunt monkeys, rodents, and birds.
Clouded leopards are one of the only cats that can go down trees head first. They are also known to hang from tree branches with their hind legs. These are very flexible and jumpy cats, which makes some people think they resemble Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. Their tails, which are almost as long as their bodies (1 meter / 3 feet long), help them balance. Unlike Tigger though, clouded leopards do not use their tail as a pogo stick!
Are there really clouded leopards in Bangladesh?
Since 2006, there have been occasional sightings of clouded leopards in the forests of Bangladesh, but no official records. Zoologist Muntasir Akash of the University of Dhaka now has proof that clouded leopards do live in the country.
“In 2023, I found one clouded leopard in a camera trap [footage] while working on a [study about] the ecology and conservation of bears and dholes in eastern Bangladesh,” said Muntasir Akash.
The clouded leopard that researchers caught on a camera trap in eastern Bangladesh, funded by the World Bank SUFAL Small Innovation Grant. Image courtesy of Muntasir Akash.
Muntasir Akash is an expert on carnivores. He has been collecting information on clouded leopard sightings in Bangladesh for the last 20 years. In most cases, the clouded leopard specimens were captured by local people while collecting natural resources, or by poachers caught by law enforcement authorities.
According to his count, one clouded leopard was found in Jamalpur district in 2006, three in Rangamati district in 2009, two in Bandarban district in 2014 and 2015, one in Sangu-Matamuhari forests in 2018, two in the Kaptai National Park in 2021, and one in the Barkal area of Rangamati in 2022.
The clouded leopard is now living at Dulahazara Safari Park in Cox’s Bazar district. Image by Fahim Zaman.
Clouded leopards are not easy to see because they are nocturnal and live in dense forests. When local people see clouded leopards, they may mistake them for more dangerous cats and kill them. They consider them similar to leopards or something harmful to humans, said Farid Ahsan, a former zoology professor at the University of Chittagong.
Both zoologists think the sightings are a good sign that a clouded leopard population is living in southeastern Bangladesh. They say that the government and conservation agencies should study the cats to better understand their conservation status. Then they’ll have the information they need to start protecting the cats and their forest habitat.
David Brown adapted this story for Mongabay Kids. It is based on an article by Khadijatul Kobra published on Mongabay News:
