Kokrajhar (Assam): Two rare clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) cubs being hand-raised by Bodoland Territorial Council – International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (BTC-IFAW-WTI) will soon be moved to Kachugaon Forest Division, Assam, for the next phase of this unprecedented rehabilitation attempt in India. The cubs, both males, will undergo a prolonged period of on-site acclimatisation before they are set free into the wild.

“We evaluated several potential release sites. On measuring relevant criteria like prey availability, level of human disturbance, vegetation, connectivity with other forests etc, we found Sanfan range under Kachugaon Forest Division the most suitable to release these cubs,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, IFAW-WTI veterinarian, who was among the team that carried out the evaluations.

The cubs were confiscated from a local in Kanthalmari village, Kokrajhar, in March this year, by a team of Assam Forest Department staff led by Sonali Ghosh, Divisional Forest Officer, Kokrajhar. Less than a month old during rescue, they were handed over to the Lower Assam unit of the IFAW-WTI Mobile Veterinary Services (MVS) for hand-raising.

“The cubs have gained considerable amount of weight since they were first brought in. They are healthy and active, and have weaned off milk diet; each cub now consumes about 250 gms of meat per day. They are also being provided nutritional supplements,” said Dr Panjit Basumatary, MVS Lower Assam Veterinarian.

Relocation to the release site in Sanfan range will likely occur by the end of July. At the release site, the cubs will be allowed to acclimatise to the wild under the care of their foster mother. They will be relieved of human care only after they are deemed fit for independent survival.

Clouded leopards are listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, mandating permissions from the state as well as the central government for such rehabilitation and release. The Assam Forest Department is currently pursuing for necessary permissions.

Found in the Himalayan foothills in India and Nepal, the distribution range of the clouded leopard extends into southeast Asia.  In India, the clouded leopard is found in the semi-evergreen and rain forests in the northeastern states. Persecuted for their skin, bones used in medicines, pet trade as well as meat, fewer than 10,000 mature individuals survive in the wild, according to IUCN estimates.

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BTC-IFAW-WTI hand raising rare clouded leopard cubs in Assam