The Formosan Clouded Leopard
Taiwan's clouded leopard was declared extinct after years of camera traps found nothing. Then rangers said they had seen one.
What was reported
The Formosan clouded leopard, a medium-sized wild cat with large cloud-shaped markings, once lived in the mountain forests of Taiwan and was important in the traditions of Indigenous peoples such as the Paiwan and Rukai. It was last reliably recorded decades ago.
A large camera-trap survey between 1997 and 2012 found no trace, and in 2013 scientists declared it extinct. In 2019, rangers from a Paiwan village reported seeing clouded leopards in the mountains of Taitung.
Explanations offered
No photographs or physical evidence have confirmed the 2019 sightings, and scientists remain cautious. The reports led to new searches. If it survives, it would be one of the rarest cats in the world.
- When
- Declared extinct in 2013; reported since
- Where
- Mountains of Taitung, Taiwan
- Witnesses
- Indigenous rangers and villagers
- Status
- Unconfirmed
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