Key milestone in plans to boost numbers in the wild in AlUla, Saudi Arabia
The birth of a rare Arabian leopard cub is fueling hope for the survival of one of the world’s most critically endangered animal species. It is thought that only 200 of the smallest member of the leopard family remain in the wild after centuries of habitat loss and human conflict.
The female cub was born in April at the Arabian Leopard Breeding Center in Taif, Saudi Arabia as part of a special breeding programme run by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). The cub’s gender identification and first health check took place in July, and her birth is now being revealed to the world.
RCU is transforming a vast the vast wildernesses of the AlUla area in north-west Saudi Arabia, with 80% becoming nature reserves with habitats specifically designed to allow the Arabian leopard to thrive.
The RCU plans to increase the leopard’s numbers through its captive-breeding programme before re-introducing more of the species into the wild at AlUla. A crucial part of the plan will see a build-up of the Arabian leopard’s prey, including Nubian Ibex, Red-Necked Ostrich, and Idmi Gazelles.
Among many other Arabian leopard Initiatives, the RCU is expanding the breeding programme with the opening of a new state-of-the-art center in early 2024 as part of Sharaan Nature Reserve in the AlUla region, while also donating US$25 million towards the new Arabian Leopard Fund.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature says the species is “critically endangered”, which means it is at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, where it is only believed to now exist in three countries: Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.
Known as as An Nimr Al ’Arabi’ in Arabic, the Arabian leopard has long represented beauty, tranquillity, physical strength, fearlessness and freedom, and has held a special place in the imagination for millennia, featuring in ancient rock art, stories and even everyday expressions. It arrived in Arabia almost 500,000 years ago when it emerged out of Africa and despite originally being a mountain animal it became the only true desert leopard as desertification spread over a period of centuries.