Trang chủAccording to Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh, Director of the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve (Nghe An province), the reserve has recently recorded images of a rare leopard species through camera traps deployed since October 2025. The first-ever recording of a leopard in its natural habitat in Vietnam via camera traps is of significant importance for research and conservation efforts.
The leopard species was first discovered in the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve through camera traps.
The leopard is a medium-sized leopard with various color variations, typically possessing yellow, reddish-brown, or light brown fur, depending on its distribution. The behavior of leopards in the wild has not been fully studied due to a lack of data, but camera trap studies indicate they are territorial animals, living solitary lives in dense primary forests on high mountains or rocky valleys. Evidence suggests that the clouded leopard has a very diverse diet, including small to medium-sized vertebrates.
According to Circular 27/2025/TT-BNNMT on the management of endangered, rare, and precious species, effective from July 1st, the clouded leopard is classified as Group IB, a group of endangered, rare, and precious wild animals at very high risk of extinction and requiring priority protection.
Vietnamese law strictly prohibits all acts of hunting, keeping, possessing, transporting, consuming, or trading animals belonging to Group IB, except in cases where special permits are granted for conservation, scientific research, or non-commercial activities.
The first recorded images of a clouded leopard in the wild in Vietnam definitively confirm the distribution and existence of this species in our country, and also provides additional scientific basis to strengthen previous scientific data on this animal.