Sunda and mainland clouded leopards

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Information & Distribution of the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) in Northeast India

Northeast India is a very important region for the overall biodiversity of India and it is a part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. This region is also referred to as 'Seven Sisters' and it is a region where the Indian Government has faced massive amounts of insurgency and militancy.

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From IUCN Red List Assessment: 'Neofelis nebulosa, clouded leopard' LINK

"Mainland Clouded Leopard occurs widely in northeastern India as far west as Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar (Shafi et al. 2019) with recent records from protected areas in at least Sikkim (Bashir et al. 2011), West Bengal (Jhala et al. 2020), Assam (Borah et al. 2014), Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Mizoram (Mukherjee et al. 2019). Mukherjee et al. (2019) reported on camera-trap studies from 10 sites across five northeast Indian states with Mainland Clouded Leopard present from six sites. The extensive camera-trapping and surveys for the 2018 All India Tiger Census recorded Mainland Clouded Leopard from Kaziranga, Nameri and Manas Tiger Reserves, Assam; Pakke, Kamlang and Namdapha Tiger Reserves, Arunachal Pradesh, Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, and Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram (Jhala et al. 2020). Published Mainland Clouded Leopard density estimates from Manas National Park (Borah et al.2014) and Dampa Tiger Reserve (Singh and MacDonald 2017) of 4.7 and 5.1 individuals per 100 km2 are amongst the highest recorded across the species’ range."

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Populations and activity patterns of clouded leopards and marbled cats in Dampa Tiger Reserve, India LINK

Abstract

The rapidly declining tropical forests of Asia support a diversity of felid species, many of which are rare and little known. We used camera traps in Dampa Tiger Reserve (TR), Mizoram, northeastern India, to estimate population density and describe activity patterns of 2 rare felids, the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata). With a survey effort of 4,962 trap nights, we obtained 84 photo-captures of clouded leopards and 36 of marbled cats. We used spatially explicit capture-recapture methods to estimate population densities of both species. Using the Bayesian approach implemented in SPACECAP, we derived estimates of 5.14 (± 1.80 SD)/100 km2 for clouded leopards and 5.03 (± 2.07 SD)/100 km2 for marbled cats. Using camera trap images, we compared diel activity patterns and activity overlaps for these 2 rare felids, together with 3 other sympatric carnivores, by estimating a coefficient of overlap between species. Among felids, clouded leopards and golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) displayed the highest overlap in activity, whereas marbled cats and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) showed the lowest, with marbled cats being primarily diurnal and leopard cats nocturnal. Our study provides the first density estimates from continental Southeast Asia for marbled cats and one of the highest recorded densities for clouded leopards. These results are of special significance since Dampa sustains an ecosystem that has in recent times undergone near extirpation of large predators.

Camera trap images of Clouded leopards in Jeypore-Dehing forests, Assam. Source.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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