Photo Courtesy: nenow
Itanagar: A rare clouded leopard has been caught on camera in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The shot came from a trap at Dudungarh on January 28, 2025, at 7:40 pm. It sits at an elevation of 2,080 metres. This is the first detailed image of the animal in the district. The Forest Department of Arunachal Pradesh and the Zoological Survey of India led the mammal survey. It ran from September 2024 to June 2025.
Researchers placed cameras in 50 of 115 grids across the rugged terrain. Each grid covered five square kilometres. The team logged 2,304 trap nights. The leopard appeared once in a broadleaf, bamboo-heavy forest. Leopard cats and Arunachal macaques also popped up in the same spot. Later, crews found signs of the species at Kharegpo and Bomja. This suggests the cats roam well beyond one small pocket.
The clouded leopard is a ghost. It lives in trees and hides well. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the cat as Vulnerable. India keeps it on Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. The authors of a 2026 study noted that cultural norms help keep the animals safe. The team wrote, "Among the Monpa community, Buddhist beliefs discourage hunting, a tradition the researchers said could contribute to the conservation of wild animals across the landscape."
The discovery proves that non-protected areas act as vital refuges. Scientists want more intense camera work to track how these predators live. They must study its range and how it interacts with other local hunters. These findings change the map for one of India's most secretive forest dwellers.
Comments