Cloud 9 - Good news from Borneo

(Image: copyright BBC)

Wonderful news for cat lovers. If you like cats of all sizes, that is.

Camera traps have revealed the presence of the rare Bornean clouded leopard in Sebangua National Park, an area where the animals not been recorded before. This is particularly exciting given that recent studies have indicated that the clouded leopard found on the island is a separate species.

Borneo, as Eric Hansen wrote about in Stranger in the Forest, is a treasure chest of biodiversity. Previously, camera traps revealed the presence of a mammal unknown to science in these forests.

Due to the isolation of the island, most Bornean fauna has been little studied and new research has revealed some amazing new finds: the Asiatic Elephant found in Borneo is a separate subspecies and a new population of apes has been discovered on the island.

Borneo’s forests, described as a hotbed for new species are threatened by massive logging that, if unchecked, may wipe out most of its endemic wildlife.

(All links - BBC)