The wildlife enthusiasts of India and world were in for a special treat on the occasion of International Clouded Leopard Day today. The West Bengal’s Forest Department shared a recently captured image of this feline which has been listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list since 2008.
The image capturing this rare sighting of this ancient cat species at Buxa Tiger Reserve was posted by the department on its Facebook. At present less than 10,000 clouded leopards are believed to be living in the wild.
Along with the image the department posted a caption which read: "Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a big cat species found in India. Its range is very limited and only in a few pockets of dense forest it has been documented in the country. Buxa is one such place where you can find clouded leopards also. There have been many pictures captured by camera traps in recent times. Sharing one such clear camera trap picture captured recently from Buxa Tiger Reserve.”
Also read: In a first, clouded leopard spotted at high altitude area in Nagaland
The population of this nocturnal, arboreal, and predator of small mammals saw a steep decline in the second half of the 20th Century because of poaching and deforestation.
The Buxa Tiger Reserve spread over an area of 759 sq. km was created in 1983 and got the status of a national park in 1992. Its name is derived from Buxa Fort.
