First photos of elusive Malaysian leopard

KUALA LUMPUR - Researchers said Sunday they have captured the first images of a spotted leopard in Malaysia, putting to rest a decades-old debate over the existence of the endangered cat in the country.

The images were taken by camera traps set up in the Endau-Rompin national park as part of a 10-year project in southern Johor state, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia program director Melvin Gumal told Agence France-Presse.

"Out of the 11,500 images taken on the ground, three were of the spotted leopard and this goes to prove that the spotted leopard does exist in Malaysia," he said.