Using camera traps, the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve has recorded the first sighting of the exceptionally rare clouded leopard.
According to Vietnam's Red Book, the clouded leopard is classified as CR - critically endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and requiring urgent conservation measures to prevent its permanent disappearance.
From October 2025,Pu Hoat Nature ReserveA program utilizing camera traps in combination with advanced statistical modeling (Occupancy Modeling) has been implemented to investigate, monitor, and assess the status of wildlife species.
Twelve hundred camera traps have been installed at 60 locations, systematically distributed across the characteristic habitats of the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve. After two months (as of December 17th), many positive results have been obtained regarding the biodiversity of the fauna in the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve through the recording of images of many rare animal species in their natural habitat.
In particular, the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve has recorded images of the extremely rare and highly valuable clouded leopard. The area where the clouded leopard was captured by camera traps is in the Dong Van and Thong Thu natural forest region.
According to Vietnam's Red Book, the clouded leopard is classified as CR - critically endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and requiring urgent conservation measures to prevent its permanent disappearance.
The clouded leopard is also listed in Appendix I of CITES, Government Decree No. 64/2019/ND-CP and Decree No. 84/2021/ND-CP, and is a wild animal at very high risk of extinction in the wild.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh, Director of the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, capturing images of the clouded leopard in its natural habitat is of paramount importance in biodiversity conservation.
Confirming the distribution and existence of this species in the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve provides additional scientific basis and strengthens previous scientific data. It is also a positive sign, reflecting the biodiversity value of the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve.
