Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.
Earlier this year in January, camera traps set up in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve, captured images of the only wildcat in the world that can climb down, hang upside down from and hunt in trees. This cat has striking, cloud-shaped coat patterns that help it camouflage into dense forest habitats and is aptly named — clouded leopard. It was spotted in the region after a gap of two years.
The species was also observed along with other small wildcats in a camera trap study published in May 2026 in small community-owned forests in Meghalaya.
The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium-sized wild cat whose range extends across South and Southeast Asia. It is also an exceptional climber, with a body measuring up to 40-50 inches in size, with as long a tail.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, the clouded leopard is listed as vulnerable due to its rapidly declining population. Estimates suggest there are only between 3,700-5,580 mature individuals globally. In India, they are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which offers the highest level of legal protection.
Its population decline is owed to multifaceted threats, including habitat destruction, targeted hunting, and incidental deaths from snares intended for other animals. There is an urgent need for enhanced transboundary cooperation to safeguard the cat, particularly in regions where habitats and corridors cross international borders.
In a story that Mongabay-India published in January 2025, Imon Abedin, a wildlife biologist and PhD scholar, Department of Zoology, Bodoland University, said, “Climate change is expected to worsen habitat suitability, potentially causing up to 41% habitat loss across its current and historical range, according to the IUCN.”
Read more about how clouded leopards share habitats with species like the leopard cat and develop ways to survive competition.
Banner image: A clouded leopard in Aizawl Zoo, Mizoram. Image by Dr. Raju Kasambe via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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