Clouded leopard captive breeding faces severe welfare challenges including male aggression toward females — innovative management protocols are improving outcomes.
Clouded leopard welfare in breeding programs requires innovative management to address the species-specific aggression challenge that has historically resulted in female mortality. The cub-pairing protocol developed at Nashville Zoo — housing cubs of appropriate ages together before sexual maturity — produces adult pairs with established social bonds that dramatically reduce lethal aggression risk. This welfare innovation simultaneously solves a conservation problem (breeding failure) and a welfare problem (female mortality risk). The protocol demonstrates that species-specific welfare challenges can be addressed through behavioral research and management innovation. Wider adoption of the cub-pairing approach across the clouded leopard SSP network requires coordinating cub availability across institutions — a logistics challenge that highlights the importance of species survival plan coordination.