Rare Bornean Leopard Caught by Camera for First Time since 2010

A Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), found only on Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra is seen in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia's Sabah state, November 6, 2017. (Reuters)
A Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), found only on Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra is seen in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia's Sabah state, November 6, 2017. (Reuters)
TT
20

Rare Bornean Leopard Caught by Camera for First Time since 2010

A Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), found only on Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra is seen in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia's Sabah state, November 6, 2017. (Reuters)
A Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), found only on Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra is seen in the Deramakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia's Sabah state, November 6, 2017. (Reuters)

A Bornean leopard and her two cubs were captured on camera strolling through a Malaysian forest reserve two weeks ago, a rare daytime sighting of the elusive animals in the wild.

Found only on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the big cat species is known to zoologists as Neofelis diardi, with just 700 estimated to live in a habitat shrunk by poaching and deforestation.

“Seeing it in daytime is nearly unheard of, and never with its young,” said Michael Gordon, who filmed the animals cross a road and walk into bush in Deramakot in Malaysia’s on Borneo, where camera traps first spotted the cats in 2010.

This animal feeds on monkeys, small deer, birds and lizards, and is the main predator on Borneo, an island shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.



Nepal Capital Chokes as Wildfires Rage

Swoyambhunath Stupa on a hilltop is barely seen from a Skywalk tower amid the air pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitraker
Swoyambhunath Stupa on a hilltop is barely seen from a Skywalk tower amid the air pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitraker
TT
20

Nepal Capital Chokes as Wildfires Rage

Swoyambhunath Stupa on a hilltop is barely seen from a Skywalk tower amid the air pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitraker
Swoyambhunath Stupa on a hilltop is barely seen from a Skywalk tower amid the air pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitraker

Nepal's capital was blanketed in acrid smog Thursday as wildfires across the country pushed air pollution levels to among the worst in the world.

Experts say that widespread wildfires, fueled by an exceptionally dry winter and stagnant atmospheric conditions, have caused the thick and throat-burning smog to cover the Kathmandu valley, AFP reported.

Levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- registered above 178 micrograms per cubic meter on Thursday, according to Swiss monitoring firm IQAir.

A reading above 15 in a 24-hour period is considered unhealthy by the World Health Organization (WHO), and IQAir ranked Kathmandu the world's most polluted city.

The Himalayan nation sees a spate of wildfires annually, usually beginning in March, but their number and intensity have worsened in recent years, with climate change leading to drier winters.

"The prevailing dry conditions have significantly increased the frequency of forest fires across the country, further worsening air pollution," Khushboo Sharma, an air pollution analyst at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD) told AFP.

"This year, precipitation was exceptionally low, with hardly any rainfall, leaving forests dry and more susceptible to fire," she added.

Sharma said that stagnant meteorological conditions are also causing pollution to accumulate over the valley.

On social media, people complained of stinging eyes and itchiness because of the pollution.

Low visibility caused by the smog also disrupted flights at Kathmandu airport, sparking long delays.

"The mountain flights... as well as some other flights have been disturbed because of the pollution," said Rinji Sherpa, the airport's spokesman.

The health ministry issued a notice Wednesday requesting Nepalis to "avoid unnecessary travel" and to wear a mask when outside.

The government has also urged people to avoid construction and burning rubbish.

The Air Quality Life Index, issued by the University of Chicago, estimated that in 2024 air pollution stripped 3.4 years off the life of an average Nepal resident.