Rare clouded leopard spotted in the wild: Viral video inside

Clouded leopards are among the most elusive big cats in Asia, which mostly remain hidden in mystery due to their secretive, nocturnal habits. Clouded leopards are one of nature’s most mysterious big cats.

With their beautifully patterned coats and secretive habits, these elusive animals are rarely seen in the wild.Mostly living high in the treetops of dense forests across Southeast Asia and Northeast India, they can be silently spotted at night and avoid human contact. Their quiet existence has kept them mostly out of sight, even from researchers and wildlife cameras. So it becomes a precious moment when one such animal is spotted in the wild.

Viral video shows a clouded leopard mother and cubs in the jungle

Susanta Nanda, a former Indian Forest Service officer, recently shared a video on the social media platform X that shows a clouded leopard mother with her cubs moving through the lush forests of Northeast India. He captioned the video as, “Elusive. Ethereal. Endangered. With barely ~10,000 left in the wild & scattered sightings in NE India, the Clouded Leopard is our most secretive big cat. Here, a rare glimpse — a mother with her cubs, guardians of an ancient rainforest.

A sight so rare that it's mythical”.This footage is exceptionally rare, taking into consideration how seldom clouded leopards are seen. Their secretive nature makes such wild encounters significant and fulfilling to conservationists.

Clouded Leopards are vulnerable and fast vanishing

Clouded leopards are officially listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remaining globally. Smaller populations are scattered across Northeast India, the Himalayan foothills, Southeast Asia, and southern China.

They are known for their beautiful cloud-patterned fur, exceptional tree-climbing abilities, and long canine teeth, which are also the largest in proportion to body size among all cats.These cats face significant threats from habitat loss, poaching, and human‑wildlife conflict. In Northeast India alone, forest fragmentation and illegal wildlife trade are contributing to their decline.

What are the efforts taken by experts to protect them

According to a study named, Forecasting Suitable Habitats of the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) in Asia: Insights into the Present and Future Climate Projections Within and Beyond Extant Boundaries, experts have advised the need for strategic conservation actions, including establishing protected areas and creating transboundary wildlife corridors to reconnect fragmented habitats and maintain genetic diversity among populations.

A new roadmap identifies 18 critical corridors across the clouded leopard’s range.This study also tells that clouded leopards often coexist with larger predators by adjusting their activity patterns and using arboreal spaces effectively playing hide-and-seek to avoid direct encounters. In Manas National Park, Assam, researchers found a density of about 1.73 individuals per 100 km², revealing their preference for dense, canopy-rich forests.