Formosan Clouded Leopard @ Taiwan

In October 2024, we traveled to Taiwan for research. At the planning stage, our focus had been almost entirely on the Shíhǔ (the Taiwan leopard cat, a subspecies of the Asian leopard cat). While running alongside them in the mountains was hardly a realistic possibility, they inhabit the Qiǎnshān—the "shallow mountains," a common Taiwanese ecological term for the low-mountain and hilly terrain between the flatlands and the deep wilderness. We intended to walk these spaces, searching for their presence and traces. In fact, we had timed our research trip specifically around October 5th, "Leopard Cat Day," so that we could visit the Taipei Zoo. The date was chosen because the pronunciation of Shíhǔ (the Taiwan leopard cat) sounds similar to Shí-Wǔ (10 and 5, representing October 5th).

Yet wherever we went, what left the deepest impression on us was actually the Formosan clouded leopard. Once the apex predator—and an umbrella species helping maintain overall ecosystem balance—in Taiwan, it vanished without leaving definitive physical proof behind. That history itself carries a powerful narrative, surrounding the animal with an elusive, phantom-like aura. Above all, its name—meaning "clouded leopard"—and its appearance are inherently mystical. In the languages of Taiwan's indigenous peoples, such as the Paiwan and Rukai, it is named "Child of God" or "Heaven's Treasure." Because the clouded leopard is imbued with such a rich variety of prayers and reverence, the stories of the clouded leopard have been retold through various forms in Taiwan in recent years. As a result, we encountered clouded leopards here and there.

The Formosan clouded leopard is an exceptionally multilayered cultural symbol—one where the spiritual cultures of Taiwan's indigenous peoples, the island's prehistory, natural history, and modern and contemporary history all intersect.