Juvenile clouded leopard successfully rescued in Ranau

KOTA KINABALU: A male juvenile clouded leopard, believed to have become separated from its mother, was rescued at a village in Ranau district early Saturday (July 13) morning.

The Sabah Wildlife Department's wildlife rescue unit (WRU) went to Kampung Perancangan on Friday evening, after a villager said he spotted the animal roaming around the village a couple of days before.

Dr Sen Nathan, who oversees the unit, said the team arrived at 7pm and set up a trap in the area and patrolled the place through the night.

"The villagers were worried it might cause harm to them or their livestock.

"Early on Saturday (July 13) morning, at approximately 3.45am, the clouded leopard was seen with a prey, a chicken, in its mouth attempting to go back into a small forested area from the village," said Sen in a statement.

The leopard was successfully darted and given immediate medical attention.

"Based on observation, the animal was not in good shape as it was thin with an estimated age of less than 12 months old and weighing 7.5kg.

"The animal was suspected to have been separated from its mother and probably lost its way," said Sen, adding that there had been documented cases of wild clouded leopards in the Poring area.

The fully protected animal was transported to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park in the state capital at 10am for further treatment.

"Once the clouded leopard has been treated and nursed back to health, the plan is to translocate it in a protected forest reserve in the east coast of Sabah.

"Sabah Wildlife Department would like to thank the Kg Perancangan village chief and villagers involved for their cooperation and concern towards wildlife in Sabah.

"They are an example for other villages in Sabah," he said.