Beautiful and rare leopard, strictly protected by Vietnamese law

(Dan Tri) - A medium-sized leopard with beautiful patterns is distributed in Vietnam, but its numbers have seriously decreased and it is facing the risk of extinction in the wild.

Clouded Leopard - A medium-sized leopard with a beautiful pattern

When mentioning leopards, many people often imagine a large cat with orange fur and distinctive black spots. However, in Vietnam there exists a medium-sized leopard with a very different body pattern.

Clouded leopards are medium-sized with cloud-patterned fur. Photo of a clouded leopard at the Berlin Zoo (Photo: Klaus Rudloff).

The leopard mentioned above is the clouded leopard, also known as the clouded leopard or clouded leopard, scientific name Neofelis nebulosa. This leopard is distributed in countries in the South Asian region, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, to China and some countries in the Southeast Asian region, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Clouded leopards were once recorded in Singapore and Taiwan (China), but are now extinct there.

In Vietnam, clouded leopards have been recorded in the northern mountainous provinces, the Central Highlands and Quang Tri (Phong Nha - Ke Bang). However, this leopard species is currently only recorded in a few provinces such as Dien Bien, Son La, Yen Bai , Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri (Phong Nha - Ke Bang area of ​​Quang Binh province in the past), Dak Lak.

Clouded leopards are medium-sized, with a head-to-body length ranging from 68 to 108 cm, and a tail length of 60 to 90 cm. They use their tails to balance when moving in trees. Adult clouded leopards weigh between 11.5 and 23 kg, with males being larger than females.

Clouded leopards are good climbers (Photo: iNaturalist).

The clouded leopard has a very beautiful patterned coat, consisting of large dark gray patches, bordered by a closed black rim, many black streaks running from the middle of the body or along the spine down to the tail, many small black spots on the head. The pattern on the clouded leopard's body resembles clouds and this is the origin of the name clouded leopard of this animal.

Leopards live solitary lives in dense, pristine forests on high mountains or rocky valleys. They are excellent climbers. They rest in trees during the day and hunt at night. Their diet consists of small forest animals such as deer, wild chickens, monkeys, and squirrels.

A wild clouded leopard was captured by a camera trap in Malaysia (Photo: DWNP-WCS).

Leopards typically give birth to litters of 3 to 5 cubs. The cubs are weaned at about 3 months old and become independent after about 10 months. Male leopards do not participate in the care and upbringing of the cubs, but leave the female after mating.

In the wild, clouded leopards have an average lifespan of about 7 years and increase to 11 years in captivity.

Animals are strictly protected by Vietnamese law.

Currently, the clouded leopard's habitat is fragmented and shrinking due to encroachment on natural forests for agricultural expansion and logging. The species is also being hunted to the point of depletion for food or for its skins used in the fashion industry.

Clouded leopard cubs will live with their mothers for about 10 months before starting their independent lives (Photo: Earth Touch News).

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed clouded leopards in its Red List and classified them as "Vulnerable", which means they are facing extinction in the near future, although not yet truly endangered.

Meanwhile, according to the Vietnam Red Book, the clouded leopard population in our country has decreased by more than 80% in the past 30 years, the estimated population size is less than 250 individuals, the number of adults in each sub-population is less than 50.

Currently, it is very difficult to spot clouded leopards in their natural habitat in Vietnam. Therefore, the Vietnamese Red Book classifies this species as "Criticalally Endangered," facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

Clouded leopards are over-hunted for their meat and skin, causing their numbers in the wild to decline dramatically (Photo: Spirit Animal Totems).

According to Circular 27/2025/TT-BNNMT regulating the management of endangered, precious, and rare species; effective from July 1, clouded leopards are classified in group IB animals, which is a group of endangered, precious, and rare wild animals with a very high risk of extinction and need to be prioritized for protection.

Vietnamese law strictly prohibits all acts of hunting, keeping in captivity, possessing, transporting, consuming, or trading animal species belonging to Group IB, except in cases where special permits are granted for conservation, scientific research, or non-commercial activities.

Clouded leopards are strictly protected by Vietnamese law, and any act of harming this animal will be severely punished (Photo: Sandesh Kadur).

Hunting, trading, transporting or consuming animals in group IB are strictly prohibited and violators can be fined from 500 million to billions of VND and imprisoned from 1 to 15 years, depending on the severity of the violation.

Therefore, hunting, killing, or consuming clouded leopards is illegal and strictly prohibited. Everyone needs to be aware of this to avoid legal trouble.

Clouded leopards have been kept in zoos since the early 20th century. Breeding programs to conserve the species are underway, but the number of clouded leopards born in captivity remains modest.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/loai-bao-dep-va-quy-hiem-duoc-phap-luat-viet-nam-bao-ve-nghiem-ngat-20251025032416622.htm