1 August 2017 – Today in #AnimalsofCikananga, Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi) Captain, IUCN: Vulnerably Threatened
As part of a huge confiscation in late November 2015 Captain arrived as a young cub of about 3 months old. The only explanation is that the young Captain was poached from the wild, under the eyes of the mother since young Clouded Leopards are close to their mother. What happened to her is not clear, but we fear for the worst scenario. After a couple of months in quarantine Captain moved to a larger, outside enclosure which gives him some space to move around, although is limited and not ideal. Since he has spent almost his complete life with humans, first the traders, and of course later our keepers, he is relatively tame and this blocks a return to the wild.
Captain is an example of many animals in rescue centers these days: Healthy and strong, but without a place to go he is stuck. A return to the wild will be very hard, it’s highly doubtful whether he will survive because he lacks the skills he should have learned in his first years. Rehabilitation programs are inexistent and we as relatively small organisation do not have the means, money or facilities for a complete rehabilitation and release process for just one individual.
As we are focussing on many species we come to the conclusion that we cannot do so much for Captain as an individual. In the mean time we try to give him the best care with lots of enrichment and we are working on a larger permanent sanctuary where is welfare is guaranteed, in Cikananga or elsewhere.
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In the July and August of this year we share a series of photo’s we call #AnimalsofCikananga. With this series we hope to give some insights and backgrounds on the rescued animals that are here in Cikananga and are so typical for the many challenges wild animals face in Indonesia.
Of course, we also hope to raise some extra attention to the work we do for the animals, the –very often- tragic situations and hope to find some help, financially or otherwise. Please like, share, tag and tell your friends, and help us save the wildlife: http://www.wanicare.com/how-to-help/donations
Photo: Jonathan J-Dawg Beilby