The second in Fijis ‘Diamonds of Nature’ series has been announced and this time the big cat is the Clouded Leopard, a cat with the largest canine teeth in proportion to skull length. Stockily built and weighing 12-25kg, it’s considered an evolutionary link between the big cats and the small cats, itself being the smallest of the big cats and not closely related to the Leopard.

Neofelis nebulosa is listed in CITES Appendix I and protected over most of its range. Hunting is banned in Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is not legally protected outside Bhutan’s protected areas. Hunting is regulated in Laos. No information about its protection status is available from Cambodia. These bans, however, are poorly enforced in India, Malaysia, and Thailand. Sadly, hunting for the most pathetic of reasons like crank medicine etc, still goes on. Most distgustingly, it can take the pelts of up to 25 leopards to make a fur coat.

The previous coin is still around and seems to be appreciating in value. The obverse is Queen Elizabeth II, and one of the last coins issued before the Fiji government changed it to a local design.

Сountry: Fiji
Data of issue: December, 2013
Face value: 10 Dollars
Metal: Silver .999
Weight: 20 g
Diameter: 38,6 mm
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 1,000 pcs