ON Aug 8, the mystery of a missing cat named Petra was solved when closed-circuit television footage revealed a surprising sequence of events. The cat had been dragged away and killed by a clouded leopard (neofelis nebulosa).
The footage shows the clouded leopard dragging the cat into a house's compound, sparking fears that the animal could pose a threat to members of the household.
Clouded leopards are among the least understood of the big cats owing to their shy nature.
While there have been few studies focusing on clouded leopards, the increased availability of wildlife monitoring technology has improved our understanding of the species in the past decade.
Here, we want to present some of the science that can help explain this behaviour better and if there are risks associated with it.
Human-wildlife conflict is an emerging field of concern among conservationists.
Conflict is a wide-ranging definition that covers instances of wildlife and humans interacting in ways that are not desired.
This covers everything from the sad case of Petra to a macaque enjoying fruits from a farmer's tree.
Data from the Wildlife and National Parks Department shows that clouded leopards rank among the lowest in terms of human-wildlife conflict rates.
Data on the three big cats also shows that clouded leopards' smaller size makes them averse to conflict with larger mammals such as humans.
However, we may see an anecdotal increase in clouded leopard conflict in the next few years, which can be explained by several factors.
Clouded leopards are known to have a wide-spectrum diet with a preference for wild pigs.
The recent decimation of wild pig populations in Malaysia in the last wave of African Swine Flu in 2020 could explain why we may be seeing more of this type of conflict.
Recent studies suggest a more than 80 per cent decline in wild pig populations in forest reserves.
This could be a leading explanation for the clouded leopard's behaviour, which may become more common if wild pig populations do not recover.
Relative to leopards and tigers, clouded leopards are shy and averse to risk.
The taking of Petra in Sungai Siput is strange, but as wild animals interact with humans more frequently it is possible they are becoming bolder and willing to take more risks.
With dwindling habitat, and increased human disturbance in forests, more clouded leopards may be tempted to leave their comfort zone and venture into human-dominated areas for easy prey like a domestic cat or dog.
Yes, wild animals can harm humans.
However, it is important to remember that most wild animals in conflict situations are under enormous stress and are probably reacting defensively rather than having a desire to attack.
So, while it is unlikely for hungry clouded leopards to regard humans as food, they are still able to cause damage if placed in a stressful environment where they feel threatened.
To our knowledge, there has never been a record of clouded leopards killing humans in Malaysia.
Clouded leopards can sometimes be seen on the borders of forest reserves or on the roadside.
On the rare chance that it is found in a housing compound, the animal should be left alone and allowed to find its own way of escape, as that is most likely what it would like to do.
The writers are wildlife researchers at the Wildlife Conservation and Research Unit at Oxford University and run a field research programme for carnivores in Borneo called the Bornean Carnivore Programme
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times