Clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa) belongs to order Carnivora and family Felidae. It occurs Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam and Nepal. In Nepal this species has been reported to occur in the protected areas of Annapurna Conservation Area, Chitwan National Park, Kanchanjunga Conservation Area (skin seized four years ago), Langtang National Park (one casualty recorded in Langtang 10 years ago), Makalu Barun (two pelts were recently recorded from the buffer zone area of the park), Rara National Park, Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park and Ghodaghodi Lake Area and districts of Ilam, Kailali, Kaski. However, Nowell and Jackson (1996) restrict its distribution to Langtang National Park and along the mid-hills eastwards. Recent information is lacking and current status and distribution needs to be confirmed. Clouded Leopards occur in cold, arid and semi-arid shrub land, alpine and subalpine areas, grasslands and open forests, favoring steep terrain characterized by cliffs, ridges, gullies and rocky outcrops at elevations of between 3,000 m and 5,500 m. The global population of this species is about 3200. In Nepal, this species is restricted to 300-500. It is listed as vulnerable species by IUCN red list category as it is experiencing declines due to Habitat loss and degradation due to human settlements, overgrazing and deforestation, Poaching for fur, Retaliatory killing in response to livestock depredation. National red list of mammals categorizes it as an endangered species. The legal status of this species in Nepal is Protected (Appendix I) under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 and Appendix I in CITES law.
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