Research overview: clouded leopard welfare and male-female aggression in breeding

Clouded leopards have a difficult captive breeding history marked by severe, sometimes fatal aggression by males toward females during pairing. This overview surveys the welfare and management science developed to address it: the finding that stress, reflected in elevated adrenal hormones, is raised by housing near larger predators, lack of tall structures and hiding, and public exposure; the strategy of introducing potential breeding pairs at a young age to build compatibility; and the provision of arboreal, complex, well-hidden enclosures suited to this highly arboreal cat. It draws on landmark non-invasive endocrine studies of the North American population. It discusses self-trauma and stereotypy as welfare indicators. The synthesis frames clouded leopard welfare and breeding success as deeply intertwined and dependent on stress-reducing husbandry.