Today is International Clouded Leopard Day; Happy International Clouded Leopard Day!
This day is celebrated on the 4th of August every year, and was founded on the 4th of August in 2018 to help raise awareness about clouded leopards.
Clouded leopards are vulnerable to extinction. The WWF has estimated that there are only 10,000 clouded leopards left in the world today. However, a recent assessment by the IUCN Red List, which was done in 2020, has estimated that there are between 3700 and 5580 mature clouded leopards.
These beautiful cats live in subtropical and tropical forests of Southeast Asia, they are found in countries like - India, China, Cambodia, Laos and more. They are also found in the Himalayas.
Sadly though, clouded leopards are under threat due to their forests being destroyed; deforestation is the biggest threat to the existence of clouded leopards, therefore, saving the forests is important if we are going to save the clouded leopard.
Another threat to clouded leopards is poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Sadly, these beautiful cats are hunted for their skins, bones and teeth.
The threats that the clouded leopard face has not only resulted in them having a low population today, it has also resulted in the clouded leopard population decreasing.
International Clouded Leopard Day, is a day to help raise awareness about the decline in clouded leopards and the threats they face.
It is also a day to celebrate these leopards.
Like most cats, clouded leopards are solitary animals, they are also nocturnal and good at climbing. They are so good at climbing that these amazing cats can climb while upside down, underneath tree branches, showing not only how skilled they are at climbing, but also how strong they are.
There skilled climbing ability makes these cats fascinating and cool.
They are smaller than other big cats like tigers, lions and cheetahs, but they are also one of the biggest cats in the world today.
There are also two species of clouded leopards - 1) the Clouded leopard, and, 2) the Sunda clouded leopard. Both of these species are sadly vulnerable to extinction.
We are lucky to share our world with such an amazing animal, protecting them and their forest home today, will help save them for the future.
Happy Clouded Leopard Day! 🐆