Clouded leopard spotted: Rare clouded leopard sighted in Kakoi Reserve Forest; Highlights conservation importance of smaller habitats

Guwahati: The Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), a vulnerable and schedule I–protected species, has been sighted at the Kakoi Reserve Forest (RF), emphasising the vital role smaller reserve forests in Assam’s eastern Himalayan foothills has played in conservation of threatened carnivores.

Spotted during a routine camera-trap exercise conducted by the Lakhimpur divisional forest officer, the finding extends the known territory of the leopard within the state boundaries. So far, there have been very few sightings of the clouded leopard in Kaziranga, Manas and Nameri national parks.


State forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary took to X on Sunday morning to share the news. “A camera-trap exercise organised by the divisional forest officer, Lakhimpur division, in Kakoi Reserve Forest has captured a Clouded Leopard, a strong indicator of a healthy and well-protected ecosystem. This significant record underscores the ecological importance of the forest and is a matter of pride for the locality,” Patowary wrote in his post.

Divisional forest officer Manoj Kumar Goswami, who had carried out the camera-trap exercise with technical support from researchers Dr Hiranmoy Chetia, Abhijit Konwar and Anshuman Gogoi, confirmed the first-ever sighting of the animal at the reserve forest. The entire exercise was overseen by forest department official Roktim Borbaruah.

“Despite their relatively small size, these forests like Kakoi retain canopy continuity and ecological integrity, enabling them to function as movement and persistence habitats for forest-dependent carnivores,” Goswami said.

Although the northeast constitutes a major part of the global range of the Clouded Leopard, confirmed records outside large protected areas remain limited due to inadequate surveys.

The DFO further said it was unclear whether the detection represented a resident individual, a dispersing animal, or part of a larger, undocumented foothill population. “Recognising, monitoring and managing these forests, as integral components of the wider conservation landscape, is essential for informed decision-making and long-term species persistence,” Goswami said.

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