The Star, Malaysia : Wildlife Dept catches rare Clouded Leopard in housing area

Saturday November 22, 2003

Wildlife Dept catches rare Clouded Leopard in housing area

IPOH: The Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has managed to catch an extremely rare Clouded Leopard, which had wandered into the Asia Mining residential area in Temoh, about 50km from here.

State Perhilitan director Jasmi Abdul said the adult male leopard might have been lost after a storm earlier and wandered into the compound of a house in search of food.

“The leopard was reported to be fighting with dogs, and villagers alerted the Fire and Rescue Department, which later contacted Perhilitan at about 10am,” he told reporters at the department here yesterday.

Jasmi said it took five firemen and two Perhilitan officials an hour to catch the feline, which weighs 30kg and measures 1.7m long. It is estimated to be between 10 and 15 years old.

He said the animal would be taken to the Malacca Zoo.

“The animal, which had wandered from the Bujang Melaka forest reserve near the village, will not be returned there because Perhilitan is uncertain it can survive,” he added.

He also said the leopard, which is known by the scientific name Neofelis nebulosus, is the smallest of Malaysia’s great cats, after the Indo-Chinese tiger and the black panther.

“We feel very lucky to catch one alive because it’s a beautiful animal and there are fewer Clouded Leopards than tigers in the Malaysian wild as they do not breed very easily,” he added.

Jasmi said the Clouded Leopard, which snarled at press photographers, was normally not fierce, and eats small mammals such as goats and deer as well as chickens.