A rare video captures a clouded leopard mother with cubs, highlighting the species' elusive nature and fragile population status.
Susanta Nanda's viral post reignites public interest in India’s clouded leopards, found mainly in Northeast forests.
In May 2025, the camera trap footage from Dehing Patkai revealed the first visual evidence of the cat hunting a Bengal slow loris in the wild.
A recent viral video shared by retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda featured a rare sighting of a clouded leopard mother with her cubs. What makes this sighting rare is that the animals are extremely elusive and ethereal that spotting them in the wild is a chanced encounter.
Sharing the video on X, Nanda described the encounter by writing, “Elusive. Ethereal. Endangered”. He added that with barely 10,000 clouded leopards left in the wild and only scattered sightings across Northeast India, this rare moment captured a “mother with her cubs, guardians of an ancient rainforest.” The visual, he said, was “a sight so rare that it’s mythical.”
The Elusive Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard are found across most of India, west into Pakistan and Afganistan, into the Himalayan foothills, China, northern part of the Korean peninsula and far east in Russia and across Southeast Asia, the leopard cats come in various size and appearance across regions.
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, this species is genetically closer to big cats like tigers and lions. Despite their smaller stature, clouded leopards have long canine teeth (proportionally the longest of any wild cat), making them unique even among large felines. Their short legs and long tails help with balance, while their flexible anklebones and large padded paws are built for tree-climbing—allowing them to descend trunks headfirst, reported ET.
The clouded leopards are found in dense forests across Southeast Asia and parts of Northeast India. Their coats, marked with cloud-like blotches, offer natural camouflage in thick foliage.
Nanda’s post garnered comments on social media ranging from awe and admiration for both the animals and the rare moment caught on camera.
The footage not only highlights rare clouded‑leopard family behavior but also dovetails with recent evidence of their predatory habits. In Dehing Patkai National Park, Assam, according to an article in the Journal of Wildlife Sciences earlier in May 2025.
The photograph was shared by the Assam Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Chandra Mohan Patowary, on X on May 15.
This marks the first photographic proof of this predator–prey interaction in the wild.
