Archive · 2 Jun 2025
Clouded Leopard Caught Hunting Slow Loris in Assam's Park
Imagine a hidden camera taking a picture of a rare moment in the jungle!
Scientists in Assam, India, set up cameras in a national park to study wild animals.
They were surprised to capture a picture of a clouded leopard, a big cat that is hard to find, hunting a Bengal slow loris, a small, slow-moving animal.
This is the first time this has been seen.
The slow loris is in danger, so this helps scientists learn how to protect them.
It helps them understand what the clouded leopard eats and how these animals live together.
The scientists are using this information to help protect both the clouded leopard and the slow loris in the forest.
A clouded leopard was caught on camera preying on a Bengal slow loris in Assam's Dehing Patkai National Park.
The image was captured by a camera trap installed by the Wildlife Institute of India and the Assam Forest Department.
This marks the first photographic evidence of such predatory behavior.
The Bengal slow loris is classified as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List.
The discovery enhances understanding of clouded leopard diet and predator-prey dynamics.
- Who
- Clouded leopards and Bengal slow lorises.
- What
- A clouded leopard preying on a Bengal slow loris.
- When
- December 7, 2024.
- Where
- Dehing Patkai National Park, Assam, India
- Why
- To better understand the diet and behavior of clouded leopards and to inform conservation efforts.
- Location
- Dehing Patkai National Park, Assam, India
- Date of Capture
- December 7, 2024
- Animal Species Involved
- Clouded leopard and Bengal slow loris
- Camera Trap Grid Size
- 2-square-kilometer grids
- Number of Camera Traps
- 95
- Slow Loris Conservation Status
- Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
- National Park area
- 234.26 square kilometers