Jakarta. The recent sighting of rare Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) in the Cikepuh Conservation Park in Sukabumi, West Java, has led to optimism that the critically endangered species can still be saved from extinction.

The leopard subspecies, which only occurs naturally on Java Island, has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered since 2008, with fewer than 250 mature individuals believed to be left in the wild.

The animal was photographed by a camera trap the West Java branch of the Natural Resources Conservation Central Agency (BBKSDA) had set up after receiving information from researchers and people living outside the conservation area.

The agency head told Antara news agency on Thursday (09/02) that there had been earlier signs of leopards in the park, such as scratch marks on trees, fecal matter and pawprints, but that this could not be confirmed due to a lack of data.

In response to this, the West Java BBKSDA, in cooperation with the Cikepuh Conservation Park management, International Animal Rescue and the Tiger Foundation, set up camera traps at several locations believed to be frequented by the animals.

Observations over 28 days showed that there may be around 12 individuals in the park, including three yellow-spotted and one black-spotted leopard.

The agency is planning to conduct further observations to establish the exact number of animals, and to calculate their sex ratio.

The subspecies was previously believed to be extinct due to poaching and habitat degradation in the park between 1998 and 2001.

However, with the good news, the agency is now positive that its conservation and rehabilitation efforts are paying off, although more work needs to be done on wildlife rehabilitation.