Camera Trap Captures First-Ever Photo of Clouded Leopard Hunting a Slow Loris
A camera trap captured the first-ever photographic evidence of a clouded leopard preying on a Bengal slow loris.
The image was taken by a camera trap, set up by the Wildlife Institute of India and the forest department, in Dehing Patkai National Park in Assam, India on December 7, 2024. The discovery was reported in a recent study published in the Journal of Wildlife Sciences.
The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) was photographed by a camera trap as it walked along a wide forest path. In its mouth, the leopard held a Bengal slow loris by the nape of its neck — a hunting behavior never seen before.
According to a report by Mongabay India, the elusive nature of clouded leopard and the Bengal slow loris, which are nocturnal and live on trees, have made the animals notoriously difficult to study.
“Only one or two people in my patrol party have reported seeing clouded leopards. So, the fact that a single camera trap image captures both these animals is extremely significant,” Ranjith Ram, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Digboi Forest Division of Dehing Patkai National Park, tells Mongabay India.
The photo came from one of 95 cameras placed around Dehing Patkai National Park to study five of the eight wild cat species that live there.
Clouded leopards are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and can be found in India, Nepal, China, and parts of Southeast Asia. They’re mostly active at night and great at climbing trees, thanks to flexible ankle joints that make it easier. They eat a wide variety of animals, like small and medium-sized deer, primates, porcupines, pangolins, birds, rodents, and sometimes even domestic animals.
But there’s still a lot that’s not known about which prey they prefer in India. This new photo helps fill in those gaps. Scientists hope this will lead to better plans to protect these cats from dangers like illegal hunting and loss of their homes.
“This finding made through camera trapping contributes to our understanding of predatory behavior and diet, highlighting the significance of conservation efforts for both species,” paper author Bilal Habib tells Mongabay India.
Image credits: Header photo by Ghade et al.,Journal of Wildlife Science, 2025 .
