What the study found
The study finds that, for the Paiwan, the Formosan clouded leopard's disappearance is not treated as a final extinction but as a transformation into a spiritual or ghostly form. The article argues that extinction, in this context, is better understood as an ongoing relationship shaped by absence and presence.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say this matters because the study suggests that Western biopolitical ideas of species loss do not fully fit Paiwan understandings of the clouded leopard. The findings indicate that considering alternative ontologies, meaning different ways of understanding what exists and how humans relate to animals, may help engage with human-animal bonds in times of extinction.
What the researchers tested
The researcher used ethnographic fieldwork among the Paiwan people in Taiwan, focusing on local narratives, memories, and discussions with scientists about possible reintroduction of the clouded leopard. The study examined how the Paiwan relate to the animal, called likulau in Paiwan language, and how those relationships differ from scientific extinction categories.
What worked and what didn't
The fieldwork showed that the clouded leopard continues to be present in Paiwan cultural and emotional life, even after its disappearance from the landscape. Discussions with scientists about reintroduction produced ontological friction, meaning tension between different understandings of what the animal is and how it can be encountered. The abstract does not describe a tested intervention or compare outcomes in a quantitative way.
What to keep in mind
This is an ethnographic study focused on the Paiwan in Taiwan, so its findings are specific to that setting. The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond the scope of the fieldwork, so no further caveats are given in the available summary.
Key points
- The Paiwan do not appear to treat the clouded leopard's disappearance as a final extinction.
- The animal is described as continuing in a spiritual or ghostly form called likulau.
- The authors say Western extinction categories do not fully fit the Paiwan case.
- Discussions with scientists about reintroduction created ontological friction.
- The abstract presents extinction as a relational process tied to memory, affect, and territory.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Paiwan views of the clouded leopard challenge extinction as final
- Authors:
- Agathe Lemaitre
- Institutions:
- Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-23
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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