Dr. JoGayle Howard, Clouded Leopard Champion

JoGayle on right with long-time friend Karen Goodrowe Beck

The conservation world has suffered a great loss this week of Dr. JoGayle Howard, reproductive physiologist with the Smithsonian Institution, who passed away Saturday morning after an incredibly brave struggle with cancer. I am lucky to have known JoGayle as a professional colleague and a friend. She leaves an incredible legacy through her remarkable dedication to conservation. Her work was instrumental in saving the black footed ferret from extinction and she was a key member of the team working to save the giant panda.

JoGayle was an amazing champion of clouded leopards, contributing significantly to our body of knowledge on their reproduction in zoos. She was the driving force behind the establishment and management of the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium that oversees the breeding program at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo. JoGayle was passionate about clouded leopards and was a personal inspiration to me in her tireless efforts to understand and improve the management of clouded leopards in zoos and protect them in the wild. If all of us could make such an impact, our world would be a much better place. She will be missed. It's hard to believe she is really gone.

JoGayle's fascinating work is featured in a new Smithsonian Channel show, Nature's Matchmakers, airing this weekend. You can view this preview.

The Washington Post ran this article yesterday with more details of her amazing professional achievements.

Support Clouded Leopard Conservation with Your Holiday Shopping!

This holiday it’s easy to give a gift that matters. Honor your friends and family with a donation to the Clouded Leopard Project to make a lasting impact on clouded leopard conservation. Visit our CLP online store for Clouded Leopard Project merchandise, featuring Green Brand recycled cotton logo apparel in new colors and styles! Don't forget we also have plush toys, patches, and jewelry to please all the wild cat lovers on your gift list.

We Love Michael!

Back in March I posted about a wonderful young man, Michael, who came to visit the zoo to see our clouded leopards. Michael was crazy about cloudies and I'm thrilled to say he is still their number one fan! Check this out - for Halloween Michael was a clouded leopard researcher! Now that has to be a first :-) Michael also made a brochure about clouded leopards that he handed out while in his garb. Michael's mom Dana sent us a copy of an article he wrote for his local paper about his visit to the zoo. I hope you enjoy it and enjoy knowing clouded leopards have such an awesome friend in Illinois!

New Clouded Leopard Label Beer

When you think of beer, you think of…Cambodia? Well, maybe not, but those of us at the Clouded Leopard Project do! Kingdom Breweries in Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s newest boutique brewery. Kingdom celebrates the rich wildlife heritage of Cambodia by featuring rare species on its labels. The first brew? A clouded leopard labeled pilsner. Kingdom plans to donate a portion of proceeds of brewery tours to clouded leopard conservation efforts. We’ll drink to that!

Students Learn The Clouded Leopard's Secret

Students in two schools near Thailand's Thap Lan National Park were the first to receive copies of our new bilingual storybook, The Clouded Leopard's Secret. The students were presented the books as part of a wildlife education program conducted by outreach staff from the Freeland Foundation. the Clouded Leopard Project supports this outreach effort with funding, educational materials, and teaching aids such as the clouded leopard costume in the photo.

2010 Grant Awards

The Clouded Leopard Project and the Point Defiance Zoo Society partner each year to provide grant funding to further our common mission of learning about and conserving clouded leopards and other Southeast Asia small felids. It was exciting to receive many proposals this year relating to these species. We applaud these researchers and conservationists for their efforts!

The following projects received funding:

Consequences of different forest management strategies for clouded leopards and other felids and viverrids in Sabah, Malaysia.

Ranging behavior, and demography of a little known solitary felid: An intensive, long-term camera-trap investigation of the Ulu Segama Sunda clouded leopard population (Malaysia).

The Clouded Leopards and Small Cats of Sumatra: Conflict Mitigation in the Face of a Quickly Rising Human Population.

Conservation Genetics of Threatened and Endangered Bornean Wild Cats in Sabah, Malaysia.

Status & Conservation Needs of the Sunda Clouded Leopard on Borneo.

Survey for Small Felid Species in Select Thailand Reserves and Evidence for Competitive Exclusion by Larger Felids.

Sabangau Felid Project, Borneo, Indonesia.

Wild Cats Education Week Festival, Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia.

Southeast Asia Wild Cat Education Initiative.

Community Outreach Support in Thailand’s Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex.

The Next Generation of Conservationists

You know how, despite your best efforts, sometimes you can't help but feel pessimistic about the future of wildlife conservation and then - Pow! something happens to restore your faith?

That happened to me recently when I met this wonderful young man, Michael. I received an email a while ago from Michael's mom explaining that he was obsessed with clouded leopards and that she wanted to surprise Michael with a trip to the Zoo to see ours. Oh, and did I mention they live in Illinois? Yep, Michael's mom, dad, and sister traveled all the way from Chicago to spend the day at the Zoo to nurture Michael's passion in clouded leopard conservation.

I had the pleasure of sharing breakfast and spending several hours with Michael and his family talking about our favorite cats. I was so impressed with how much Michael knew, his thoughtful questions, and his incredible interest in cloudies and other wildlife. Just as amazing was Michael's super supportive parents who do all they can to encourage the passions of their kids. We should all be so lucky!

Michael isn't just selfish in his interest in cloudies. He and his family gave a generous donation to the CLP to support our conservation efforts and Michael has returned to school to share what he's learned with his classmates. His mom even reports that their community paper wants to do a story about it! Michael sent me a wonderful letter about his visit, calling it "the greatest experience of my life." His family plans to return to the Zoo when our new exhibit is open next summer and I very much look forward to their visit.

With up and coming conservationists like Michael, I am confident that the world's wildlife will be in great hands!

Clouded Leopard Pawprint Jewelry is Back!

At long last we have re-stocked our one-of-a-kind clouded leopard pawprint pendants. Many of our devoted CLP supporters have asked when they would return so I'm pleased to share the news here. These are really special; we made the mold from an actual cast of one of our cloudie's paws and through the magic of jewelry making shrunk it down and cast it in sterling silver. You can purchase them through our online store as either just the pendant or complete with chain. They make great and totally unique gifts for any cat lover and best of all, your gift supports clouded leopard conservation. So "make tracks" and order yours today!

Clouded Leopard Teachers' Guide Published in Sumatra

Communities in Sumatra will gain a better appreciation and knowledge of their island's rare wild cats through use of the new Indonesian version of the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium/CLP's Wild Cats Educators' Guide. The funding, translation, and publication of this guide was managed by felid biologist Iding Achmad Haidir who works in Kerinci Seblat National Park. I met Iding in January 2009 during the International Clouded Leopard Conservation Summit we organized in Bangkok. Funds raised for the Summit included support for bringing biologists conducting field studies on clouded leopards and other Southeast Asian felids; Iding was the recipient of one of those grants. It was great to meet Iding and observe his great enthusiasm for promoting wild cat conservation. With committed young conservationists like Iding on the job, clouded leopards and the other cats of Asia have a better shot at a secure future!

Wild Clouded Leopard Video Footage!

Our friends, researchers Andreas Wilting and Azlan Mohamed, have released the first video footage of the Sundaland clouded leopard in the wild to be made public.
The footage was captured during a night survey in their study area of the Dermakot Forest Reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. I was fortunate to participate in night surveys at this same site in 2008, but never got lucky enough for a glimpse of a cloudie!

View the footage and learn more about their research by viewing the BBC's story, Clouded leopard: First film of new Asia big cat species. You can also find more detailed information of the project on the CLP website.



Thanks to CLP supporters for helping us contribute to this important project.

Thailand Small Carnivore and Clouded Leopard Workshop

The Clouded Leopard Project was pleased to sponsor an international workshop on the small carnivores of Thailand, November, 24-27, 2009 at Kasetsart University, Bangkok.

This meeting was a direct offshoot of the CLP-organized Clouded Leopard and Small Felid Summit held in Bangkok in January 2009. At that time, a group of researchers became interested in an analysis of the data that had been gathered from photo-trapping in Thailand, for (1) understanding the current status and distribution of small carnivores, (2) for exploring the possibility of improving and standardizing ecological survey methods across Thailand, (3) in prioritizing research needs within Thailand, and (4) integrating conservation efforts within Thailand with efforts in neighboring Laos and Myanmar.

According to one of the workshop organizers, Dr. David Reed Associate Professor, University of Louisville Louisville, KY, the meeting was even more successful than expected. There were some excellent discussions and the data set was quite impressive. Participants are currently working on papers to be published in the near future concerning what was learned about the status and distribution of all the mammalian carnivore species.

Based on the data, detailed habitat models are being constructed for dhole; clouded leopard, leopard, and tiger; and for numerous other small carnivores. The clouded leopard, leopard, and tiger are being modeled together. Preliminary analysis suggested very strongly that clouded leopard and tiger are found almost exclusively together and that leopard densities are strongly negatively correlated with tiger densities. Thus, researchers hypothesize that tigers deter leopards and that leopards depress clouded leopard densities, so that the presence of tigers and clouded leopards are strongly positively associated with each other. To fully document this, the species are being modeled together and researchers hope to tease apart whether the correlation is due to direct interaction between the species or if it is partly due to leopards having a preference for different habitat types.

Call for Clouded Leopard Project Grants

I'd like to announce that the Clouded Leopard Project is now accepting grant applications for projects supporting research and conservation efforts benefiting clouded leopards and associated Southeast Asian small felids. The application form can be found on the website. Proposals are due March 5, 2010.

We Got Our ®!

After nearly a year in line at the United States Patent and Trademark Office we have just received word that the "Clouded Leopard Project"® is now officially trademarked! This is good news for us as there has been some ongoing confusion for folks based on some casual use of our name by other clouded leopard conservation efforts. Now we can clear up the confusion. I never thought I would be so pleased to use a superscripted, circled R...

I'm Back...Again!

CLP Vice President Andy Goldfarb has returned to Thailand for another stint as Manager of the Clouded Leopard Consortium, a breeding project based at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium sends Andy there annually in support of the project where he raises cubs and manages care of the adults. This is Andy's first report since his return:

Hey guys I'm back in Thailand again. This will make four months in under a year. Don't get me wrong, I know I should be bummed that I'm missing out on the 18 degree weather back at my home versus the 90 degree temp with a very low humidity here in Thailand, but I'm not! I was never a cold weather guy. I've been coming here for 6 years and this it the first time that I have come in December and January which I have to say is just awesome. It's still hot, but the humidity is very low so it's quite nice. There are still all the bugs to deal with but to a lesser degree.

Okay, when I left back in April there were three cubs that I had been working with: Mang Po, Dawk Mi and Taifun. Also there was a little girl named Ginnaree born while I was here and she lived with me for my last month. Everybody is still here except Taifun, he went to Chang Mi in northern Thailand to meet a girl. Mang Po is one of my favorite cubs, so it was incredible to see her again. She's a lot bigger but still a sweetie and just jumped in my arms when I showed up. Everybody is doing great. The big news is that in the time that I was gone we have had six more cubs born at the breeding center. That makes ten cubs in a year! So the place is over run with the spotted little rats! What a dream come true for me. I have to say that it's hard to pay attention to all of them, they're always screaming at you when you walk past the enclosures. So I spend a fair bit of time going from one area to another playing with the cubs.

I know you're thinking, "Oh how brutal is that, poor Andy, he's suffering" Okay I know you're not thinking that but it isn't as fun or easy as you might think. Only those brave enough to enter know the truth, that’s why the guys that work with me don't go in. In one area there are four cubs that are five months old, three boys (what a nightmare ) and one little cute, but semi-evil, girl. When you first enter the area there are heaps of cute squeaks, chuffs, and rubbing all over your legs for attention. This lasts for about a minute and then it starts. A flurry of spots start flying through the air. They take turns jumping on you from every direction. From below, one of them always strikes first, and while you're bent over to detach the little beast another one hits from behind and then you lurch backwards to try to remove that one and you get hit from the front that’s when the other moves in for the big prize, your head. Now for those of you that kept up with me last time know that I copped it good in the face. So far my face has remained un-scarred, the rest of me is in real rough shape; my arms, legs, back, neck and scalp look like I scrubbed them with a wire brush.

I do love these maniacs and I'll write more soon ….I promise….. kinda.
Andy

We are excited to introduce an adorable new way to showcase your love of clouded leopards! Through a partnership with clothing designer Daughter Earth, the Clouded Leopard Project will receive a portion of the proceeds of sales of this charming shirt for women (navy blue) and kids (in light blue and pink). We love how they portray the "clouded" in clouded leopard!

Daughter Earth spreads awareness of endangered species and habitat conservation through the artful design of environmentally conscious clothing, accessories and housewares and we are very grateful for their support.

To order, visit the special ordering page in Clouded Leopard Project online store.

Clouded Leopard Project at International Zoo Keepers Conference

Last week the Clouded Leopard Project was an exhibitor at the annual conference of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) that was held for the first time in conjunction with the International Congress of Zookeepers (ICZ). The conference took place in Seattle and brought together nearly 400 delegates from all over the world. There were several days of presentations sharing a wide range of information and experiences from this highly diverse group of animal professionals. Clouded Leopard Project Vice Presidents Maureen O'Keefe and Andy Goldfarb gave a well-received joint presentation on the evolution and accomplishments of the CLP. Their great talk no doubt generated visits to our vendor table and spurred merchandise sales to support our conservation efforts. The hot seller was our insignia fleece, thanks in part, no doubt, to the sub-Arctic temperature of the hotel meeting room! It was great seeing so many conference delegates decked out in their CLP finery.

Thanks to all our supporters and new CLP friends from this event. A special thank you to Corinne, Kelsey, Paul, and Diana (above) for spending long volunteer hours manning the booth and sharing our story with conference attendees.

Clouded Leopard Project Grants Awarded

The CLP recently elected to award two mid-year grants to worthy projects in need of funding.

The first went to Dr. Susan Cheyne, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Oxford University for her Sabangau Felid Project in Indonesian Borneo. Susan has long been studying orangutans and gibbons in the region and recently expanded the project to research the behavior and ecology of the wild cats as well.

I had the good fortune of meeting Susan at the Clouded Leopard Conservation Summit and was very impressed with her commitment to learning about and conserving Borneo's wildlife. Our funding will help Susan and her team with these goals. For more details on the project visit her page on our website or check out the project's blog for updates.

The second grant was awarded to Dr. David Reed of the University of Louisville for a Small Carnivore Conservation Workshop to take place in Bangkok this November. We are very pleased to support this meeting as it is a direct offshoot of the Summit held in January. A group of researchers working in Thailand realized the need to continue networking to gain a more complete picture of the distribution and status of Thailand's small felids and other carnivores in order to develop research and conservation priorities. The goals of the workshop are to compile, disseminate, and eventually analyze existing data on small carnivores in Thailand. Researchers will bring data to the meeting from over ten years of carnivore surveillance in the region, greatly expanding the collective body of knowledge on these species. Meeting participants also aim to develop standardized protocols for conducting research on small carnivores in SE Asia. We wish them success in bringing all this disparate data together to benefit carnivore conservation.

2009 Clouded Leopard Project Grants

The Clouded Leopard Project has provided grant funding for the following research and conservation projects for 2009. We are pleased to support these important efforts to learn more about and protect clouded leopards and the other rare small cats that share their range. We will add profiles of the new projects to the website in the near future.

Bornean Wild Cat & Clouded Leopard Project
Andrew Hearn and Joanna Ross, Global Canopy Programme, Principal Investigators

Consequences of different forest management strategies for clouded leopards and other felids and viverrids in Sabah, Malaysia
Andreas Wilting, Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, Principal Investigator

Conservation Genetics of Threatened and Endangered Bornean Wild Cats in Sabah, Malaysia
Daniel Pamin, Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, University Malaysia Sabah

A comparison of the abundance of medium- and large-mammals within a primary rainforest and palm oil plantation of Borneo
Nathan Roberts, University of Cumbria

Effects of Fragmentation, Habitat Conversion, and Hunting on Clouded Leopard Abundance and Distribution in East Kalimantan
Rustam, Tropical Rainforest Research Center, Mulawarman University and Anthony J. Giordano, S.P.E.C.I.E.S, Principal Investigators

Southeast Asia Wild Cat Education Initiative PeunPa Outreach Staff Funding, Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand

Status, distribution and ecology of small wild cats in Assam, India with a focus on the clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa as the flagship species
Dr. Jimmy Borah and Dr. Karabi Deka, Alliance for Research and Conservation of Wild (ARCW), Principal Investigators

Clouded Leopard Summit Report

The report from the Clouded Leopard and Small Felid Summit convened in January is now available. Visit the main Clouded Leopard Project website and check under Conservation and Research section or use this link to download the full report.

Clouded Leopard Poems

Margaret, age 13, from Woodinville, WA sent us these great poems. Thanks Margaret, your poems are wonderful and really capture the spirit of the clouded leopard!


When danger approaches,
My spots help me hide.
When it comes to the forest,
I’ll be your guide.

I’m an agile arboreal,
Climbing to the sky,
Strong branches are my favorite,
Upon them I will lie.

My muscles tighten and I’m tense,
As I wait for prey.
I pounce and then my dinners served,
I’m done hunting for the day.



Like a light in the darkness,
Like a flag in a battle,
Like a map on a journey,
Like an oar or a paddle.

If I just kept my eyes,
On my mother’s white tail,
I could spot her easily,
With no need to wail.

Now I dash through the forest,
I know my own way.
She taught me to thrive,
And I’m still here today.