Clouded Leopard Day and the work of Wildlife Alliance

August 4 is Clouded Leopard Day, and we have the perfect conservation connection to share with you in thinking of Boon’s wild counterparts. 

Mammal Keeper Michelle E. recently left the Zoo for an exciting new chapter – you’ll find her in a new role at another AZA zoo to the south! – but she left a conservation legacy when she championed the Wildlife Alliance, one of the organizations supported by Zoo Atlanta’s Mabel Dorn Reeder Conservation Endowment Fund. Learn more about what inspired her! 

In 2018, I did something many people my age find terrifying: I called a stranger on the telephone. A nice woman named Jess in New York picked up, listened to my idea, and said, “Let’s do it!” Together, Jess and I applied to Zoo Atlanta’s Quarters for Conservation program on behalf of Wildlife Alliance’s Veal Pi Ranger Station, which protects vital clouded leopard habitat. 

Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. We weren’t selected for funding that year. In 2019, we regrouped and tried again, this time for the Mabel Dorn Reeder Conservation Endowment Fund, and we were successful! Zoo Atlanta has funded the Veal Pi Ranger Station’s operations for five of the past six years, with 2027 also scheduled to be funded. In total, Zoo Atlanta has committed $65,940 USD to this project. 

But what do those funds support? Wildlife Alliance is a large organization with many projects. The Veal Pi Ranger Station is located in the Cardamom Rainforest of Cambodia, and its patrol area is one of the few places where clouded leopards maintain viable populations. Thanks to funding from Zoo Atlanta, the operational needs of this station are covered, including salaries for rangers, patrolling equipment, fuel and maintenance of vehicles like boats, motorbikes, and fire trucks, and general supplies like batteries and cooking gas for the rangers stationed there. This station collaborates with seven other stations to patrol 5,475 square kilometers removing snares, preventing illegal logging, and promoting community-based ecotourism.  

Snares are particularly dangerous because they are cheap and simple to make and will entrap any species, including clouded leopards, wild pigs, and even young elephants. In 2024 alone, Veal Pi Ranger Station removed 2,141 snares from their patrolled area. They noted that this was a decrease from previous years, likely due to the consistent patrols deterring further snaring. Clouded leopards also require dense forests, which is threatened by illegal logging and fires set with the intention to clear land for resale. Last year, Veal Pi Ranger Station extinguished 11 forest fires. 

In 2023, the Veal Pi rangers set up a nighttime ambush for a suspected poacher. When the rangers asked a motorbike driver to stop, the driver turned, flung a bag, and fled. Inside the bag were two live clouded leopard cubs. The cubs were brought to Phnom Ta Mao Wildlife Rescue Center for care and were later released back into their natural habitat. Without the rangers’ intervention, the fate of these two cubs would likely be dire. It is support from organizations like Zoo Atlanta that allows for a hopeful ending to a story like this. 

Earlier this year, Zoo Atlanta welcomed a new clouded leopard, Boon, from the Nashville Zoo. She has been taking time to adjust to her surroundings. Clouded leopards are notoriously elusive and are most active at night. In time, we expect her to become as comfortable as her predecessor, Suhana, who inspired my interest in clouded leopard conservation. I hope Boon will spark a passion for conservation in you!  

I am grateful to Zoo Atlanta’s Mabel Dorn Reeder Conservation Fund for supporting Wildlife Alliance’s Veal Pi Ranger Station for so many years. I have moved on to a new role at another zoo, but I am happy that I can leave knowing the Ranger Station is funded through 2027 and that another Carnivore Team member will be taking over my role coordinating with our Wildlife Alliance colleagues in Cambodia to hopefully ensure many more years of support! 

(Photo courtesy: Wildlife Alliance)