ITANAGAR, Jan 18 - A hunter was caught red-handed along with the carcass of an endangered clouded leopard by a village night patrolling team near Old Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh�s Lower Subansiri district last night.
A team of All Tajang Youth Association (ATYA), Ziro, which was engaged in night patrolling on Wednesday, found three men coming toward them and when asked to stop, two of them fled from the scene under cover of darkness, leaving one of their accomplices and the carcass of the adult male clouded leopard. The apprehended man, in his early 30�s, and the catch were later handed over to police.
While confirming that ATYA patrolling team had caught a hunter with clouded leopard carcass from Swkhe-bo forest near Old Ziro, police informed that the hunter has been booked under Section 51 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The clouded leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa) is a highly endangered species due to illegal hunting and loss of habitat. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. They are found primarily in the Himalayan region and in India�s North East.
