It’s rare to spot a Bornean clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis) in the wild, because the species is endangered. To spot a whole family of Bornean clouded leopards is next level, according to the Orangutan Foundation, which carries out trail-cam research in Tanjung Puting National Park within Indonesian Borneo.
The Orangutan Foundation says it recently recorded some “amazing, rare footage” of a mother Bornean clouded leopard and her two young offspring. “To witness a family is extraordinary,” the foundation says in a press release announcing the find.
In conjunction with Tanjung Puting National Park, the Orangutan Foundation has placed trail cameras throughout the park’s forests to assess species diversity and distributions. While they’ve occasionally spotted Bornean clouded leopards on these cameras over the years, the foundation says April 9 of this year was the “first time we recorded a mother with two offspring.”
Watch as a clouded leopard family makes a rare appearance on a trail cam in Indonesian Borneo:
As a top predator, the clouded leopard plays an important role in the ecosystem. Wildlife managers are thrilled to see evidence that the species is actively breeding.
In the foundation’s press release, research manager Anxious Yoga Perdana said: “As one of the rarest species to find, being able to see a female and cubs gives us evidence that they are healthy and actively breeding.”
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Threats to Clouded Leopards
The Orangutan Foundation calls clouded leopards a “forest-dependent species,” making them especially vulnerable to threats such as habitat loss. “Habitat loss from deforestation has reduced the population to likely less than a third in recent years,” the foundation says.
To protect endangered Bornean clouded leopards, including this mother and her babies, humans need to preserve the forest habitat. Hopefully, these young clouded leopards will start their own families someday. Their chances will be greater if their habitat is intact.