A New Clouded Leopard from Apple?

You've no doubt heard the rumors about the newest technological innovation on the horizon - the Apple Tablet, aka the iSlate. According to a leaked specs page making the rounds on technology sites, the touchscreen tablet will run with a new operating system rumored to be called the Mac OS X Clouded Leopard. Here are some features I'm hoping come with this exciting new product, helping it live up to the traits of its operating system's feline counterpart:

• Quick and agile navigation, pouncing from page to page with lightening reflexes.
  
  Unsurpassed multitasking ability to locate, retrieve, and devour the
  information you're hunting.
  
  Extreme privacy protection enabling you to elude predators such as spammers
  and people sending chain emails. (And when they are encountered you dispatch
  them quickly.)
  
  Enabled with chuffing sounds for reminder alerts and snarls for error
  messages.
  
  A naturalistic case with cloud-like spots.
  
  A luxurious furry (faux, naturally) 6' charging cable (twitching motion
  optional).
  
  A built in link to the Clouded Leopard Project website.
  
  The sleekest, most appealing product available with an optimistic and
  successful future.
  
  Finally, $5 from the profits of each tablet sold go to support Clouded
  Leopard Conservation!

Did I forget anything? Apple, are you listening?

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...

Clouded Leopard Conservation in Assam, India

As we near the end of 2009, we have been receiving progress reports from several of our grant recipients. One is from Karabi Deka and Jimmy Borah whose project, “Status, distribution, and ecology of small cats in Assam, India with a focus on the clouded leopard as a flagship species,” received funding from the CLP. This is the first project we have supported outside of our usual area of emphasis in Southeast Asia. We received a number of requests for India-based projects this year. In fact, we had an all-time high number of proposals submitted in 2009. Although we wish we weren’t so limited in our ability to provide support, it’s exciting to see how the number of clouded leopard and small cat field efforts has boomed over the last few years. With such dedication to uncovering the ecology of these cats and bringing much needed awareness to local communities we are confident that the clouded leopard and other small felids have a promising future.

While the tiger and leopard have been long-studied in Northeast India, Karabi and Jimmy’s team has been investigating the six species of rarely-studied small wild cats in the region. Their work takes a multifaceted approach comprised of ecological research, conservation awareness, and training in field techniques. The team has already conducted educational presentations for elementary and college students as well as community members in areas surrounding protected areas in which their research is taking place. The college students are also trained in basic field techniques and provide assistance in the field.

The team has also produced and disseminated a Field Guide to the Small Cats of Assam and a poster to raise awareness of these species, most of which are completely unknown to local people. They also participated in a training program for members of the Assam Forest Department staff to learn wildlife monitoring techniques.

The team also initiated a camera trapping project in Nameri National Park. They are having some difficulty with access (no roads!) and interference by elephants (!) but trapping is ongoing. To augment the trapping data, Karabi and Jimmy have compiled secondary information from the Forest Department, local NGOs, and community members to document cat sightings. We will be posting their entire progress report on the website and wish them great success in the continuation of their conservation efforts.