Published February 18, 2022 | Animal Knowledge, Animals, Conservation, Endangered, Wildlife

Fans of Kung Fu Panda movie will definitely familiar with the antagonic character Tai Lung. Yes, the character represent a Leopard!

One subspecies of Leopard that endemic to Indonesia is the Javan Leopard (Panthera pardus melas).

javan-leopard-bali-safari

Eventhough not all of them have black skin, they often called as Black Panther. Let’s find out some facts about this carnivor!

The original habitat of the island of Java

Just like its name, they are endemic to the tropical forests of the island of Java. Javan Leopard also known as clouded leopard, their ability is climbing and spend a lot of time in the trees.

Characteristics

The Javan leopard has a silver-grey eyes, light brown skin color with black spots on its body. The size of the leopard can reach up to 160cm with a weight of 50-70kg, which male is larger than the female.

Unique hunting habits

The Javan leopard is a nocturnal animal that is active at night. The Javan leopard has a good skills on climbing and swimming. When looking for a prey at night, this animal usually wait in the trees and will carry their prey up to the tree.

Did you know? Javan leopard’s spots help them to camouflage on the tree to find their prey from above!

They have an exceptional hearing ability, five times sharper than human. Hence, these animals are able to hear if their prey is close and always aware for any threat.

IUCN Status

Currently only estimated about 350 mature individuals remain, make them listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2021.

The Javan leopard is threatened by loss of habitat, prey base depletion, and poaching due to human population growth and agricultural expansion. The conflict between local people and leopards is also considered as a main threat to them.

Since 2015, Taman Safari Indonesia and Ministry of Environmental and Forestry conducted action plan this animal by generating several workshop for Javan Leopard.

Get involved to animal welfare and conservation program by visiting Bali Safari Park. You can find this carnivor at Lobby Barong Area!