Chapter 6: The Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is shrouded in mystery. Its home is South-eastern India, but it also appears in Borneo and Sumatra, and I once even caught a splendid male in North Cambodia.
Anyone who has experience of the clouded leopard is astonished at the docility of this beautiful creature, which is mistakenly reputed to be savage.
The natives know this animal, and it is amazing that they should fear and kill it. Only in Sumatra is the docility of the clouded leopard recognised; yet even there it is killed, because it causes great havoc among the poultry.
My first encounter with the clouded leopard in Siam was a matter of pure chance. Leaving the camp before dark, to make sure that my men were gathering green bamboo sticks as I had ordered, I came to a clearing, or rather a little creek on the bank of the Me-kong. Near the water’s edge stood a strangely twisted, almost leafless tree, with leaves only at the crest. A thick bough overhanging the river attracted my attention, but the sun was shining in my eyes and I could not see clearly what was on the bough. Below, some birds were stalking about, bathing, drinking, and quarrelling.
Then I noticed a long, round, spotted object moving up and down on the branch. At first I thought it was a snake, but as I had never seen a hairy snake, I continued to watch it, and soon saw that it was a large member of the cat tribe. I at once realised that I had before me one of the mysterious clouded leopards.
I made a wide detour round the creek, without taking my eyes off the animal; and soon I was standing concealed behind the bushes only fifteen yards away from where it was lying, quite still, only its tail slightly moving, waiting for one of the big birds to come nearer to the tree.
The upper part of the body and the head were grey-brown with a yellow marking, while the tail and outside of the legs were the same, but the neck and forward part of the back were covered with dark fur. The belly and inside of the legs were a lighter colour merging into grey-white and light, tawny yellow.
The legs were short, and the thick, spotted tail, closely covered with hair, was comparatively long. The spots were larger on the sides than on the legs and were of strangely irregular shape. The head was nobly formed and the eyes very large. There was nothing in their glance which suggested savageness.
That the clouded leopard is no ruthless destroyer I was able to see clearly at the outset. The good-humoured fellow waited patiently until the big birds were under his tree; then, without causing any movement in the branch, he sprang on one large hen, and immediately disappeared with it in the bush. Fortunately he passed me at a distance of only a few yards, without seeing or scenting me. Then, holding the bird tight, he tore open the neck and sucked the blood, and only then devoured it, cleverly spitting out the feathers. Strangely enough, he lay with only his forelegs and the forward part of the body resting on the ground, the hind legs, as one often sees with dogs, being erect. I have never since had the opportunity of seeing big cats feeding in this position. I noticed that the contented purring which these beasts of prey usually indulge in during this operation was absent.
I shall never forget the look of the clouded leopard when I stepped out of the bush with my gun pointing at him. He gazed at me in astonishment, rose to his feet, and stood for a few seconds motionless, but showing no intention of attacking. Then, with one bound, he disappeared into the bush.
Two days later I caught him—I feel certain that it was the same animal—with the lasso, when he was once more crouching on a stripped bough.
I had made the end of the rope fast round a tree-trunk. I was afraid he would spring when I threw the rope, for I had been compelled to emerge from my cover. He saw me at once, gazed inquisitively at me, and seemed to be following the movement of my arms with interest, even raising his head a little when the lasso flew at him. His curiosity was unmistakable; he had no idea that the business was serious and might cost him his freedom.
It was very difficult to throw the lasso, as this time the objective had to be taken not from above, but sideways. One circumstance helped me. I myself was sitting on a branch higher than the one on which the animal was perched, but I had to lean over sideways to reach my target.
The rope curled round the branch and round the animal’s back, but not until he felt the rope around him did he make any attempt to get down from the tree. I then pulled the rope tight and jumped to the ground.
Then the leopard began to struggle, and the branch to which he was bound broke and remained hanging only by the bark. The rope slackened, and the animal would have escaped had we not at once drawn it tight again.
The cage which had been prepared was then hurriedly brought up and placed in position. Timidly, and without any appearance of resentment, the clouded leopard, hanging head downwards, watched us and quietly allowed himself to be shut in the cage. He was obviously cowed, and more frightened than the men, who remained at a respectful distance, leaving the work in the limelight to me.
I had no idea how quickly the clouded leopard becomes tame—his playfulness was most marked.
In Ben-Tiara I had hired a depot, an old, disused monastery, and in a big courtyard surrounded by high walls the clouded leopard was a few days later running about, playing all sorts of pranks. He was continually teasing the dogs and wanting to play with them. He struck up a close friendship with two young bears, and the trio would play together for hours. He was also on very good terms with his keepers, and particularly with me. If, however, one of our hens gave way to excessive curiosity or gluttony and ventured into the yard, it immediately fell a victim to the robber.
I was once presented with a young female clouded leopard by a well-to-do native. This one was equally tame, but she could not stand the little dogs, one of which she killed. This crime might have cost her dear, for the big dogs fell on the murderess and would have lynched her had not my men intervened. A strange thing was that the male leopard did not take part in the fight, but passively watched the attack on his wife.
Clouded leopards play with their prey before killing it, as domestic cats do, but this only happens in the case of small mammals; birds they kill immediately, knowing that winged victims may easily escape them.
I caged a male clouded leopard with a female leopard in the hope of crossing the breeds, but although they got on very well together the experiment was not successful.
I have seen clouded leopards kept in captivity on estates in Siam, where they are allowed great freedom, and I have never heard of one of these animals turning vicious. It is surprising that animal trainers do not use these apt animals in their performances. The clouded leopard is superior in intelligence to the panther, leopard, jaguar, or puma.
I once had an opportunity of seeing that this rare animal knows how to defend itself in a fight with other beasts of prey.
A male leopard, a fractious fellow, who always picked a quarrel with anything that came near him and could not even tolerate two female leopards which shared with him a large section of the animal yard, escaped from his prison while the attendants were off their guard for a moment. He killed a young panther and then attacked my grown male clouded leopard.
The latter got up as the vicious animal approached him. He certainly realised the danger that was threatening.
Without any preliminaries the leopard attacked. But he had not reckoned with the agility of his enemy, who skilfully slipped aside and crouched. Before the leopard could repeat the attack, his adversary had leapt on to a tall transport cage and from there sprang on the leopard.
I am unable to judge which of the two would have been the victor, for as soon as the fight began I and my men intervened and separated the two combatants. It is certain, however, that during the brief scuffle the leopard had suffered more severe wounds than his enemy.
After that, whenever the leopard showed himself behind his bars at the other end of the yard, the clouded leopard would immediately prepare to fight.