Clouded Leopard Photographed in Borneo

Scientists from the Sebangau Felid Project have captured pictures of a rare Clouded Leopard in Borneo’s Sebangu National Park, Central Kalimantan

The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi) was only identified as a new species in 2007 following DNA testing. This is the first time that this particular big cat has been sighted in this location. Professor David Macdonald from the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) said:

“We are very excited by this evidence that they occur at Sebangau - a great deal remains to be discovered about these beautiful felids, which are a flagship for conservation in South-East Asia”

Estimates put the number of Clouded leopards as low as 10,000.

The Sebangu National Park is also home to other rare species including Bornean orangutans and Bornean southern gibbons. These are all at risk as the Park, one of the largest deep peat-swamp forests in the world, is very susceptible to forest fires and also at risk from illegal logging.

Topic Tag: Cryptozoology