26 Febrauary 2008
 
Five skins of the endangered Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) were seized by Wildlife Division- 3 of the West Bengal Forest Department on 25 February 2008 at Jaigaon, on the Indo- Bhutan border. The illegal haul comprised of skins of two adults, one sub-adult and two cubs. Acting on a tip off, the raid was led by the D.F.O Cooch Behar, Mr. Manindra Biswas. A resident of Jaigaon was arrested while on a bus to Siliguri, from where he intended to move into Nepal. According to senior forest department personnel, the accused is said to be one of the most wanted wildlife traders on the Indo-Bhutan border. He is now in custody and was produced before the Alipurduar Sub-divisional court today, on 26th February 2008.
 
There have been two other incidents in recent times involving Clouded Leopards. In 2004 one Clouded Leopard was killed in Buxa Tiger Reserve, and in 2005 one Clouded Leopard skin was seized by the Kalchini police.
 
The Clouded Leopard falls in Schedule1 of The Wildlife (Protection) Act.
It also falls under Appendix 1 of CITES. Trade in this species is strictly prohibited.
 
The Clouded Leopard is the smallest of the big cat species in India and is considered to be one of the most spectacularly patterned mammals in the world. Its distribution is restricted to North West Bengal, Sikkim, and North East India where the population status is unknown, but it is said to be declining. It is a solitary animal, the sighting of which is extremely rare. Poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation are the major conservation threats to this species.