Saudi Arabia, US forge cooperation to conserve Arabian Leopard
The Royal Commission
for AlUla (RCU) and the Smithsonian’s
National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute have announced a long-term
conservation partnership to create a new dedicated habitat for the critically
endangered Arabian leopard in Washington, D.C.
Slated to open in 2029, the exhibit will house a
breeding pair of Arabian leopards transferred from Saudi Arabia’s conservation
breeding program, pending final regulatory approvals, technical readiness, and
genetic suitability assessments.
With fewer than 120 individuals remaining in the wild, the Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) is among the rarest big cats on Earth. The collaboration aims to expand international awareness, advance scientific research, and support the broader target of reintroducing the species to its native habitat.
Read More Royal
Commission for AlUla taking significant measures to protect leopard in Saudi
Arabia
Key Elements
of the Partnership
·
Global Conservation & Breeding: Scientific teams
from the RCU and the Smithsonian will jointly collaborate on population
management, genetics, and specialized breeding techniques. The RCU currently
manages an accredited captive-breeding facility in Taif, which has more than
doubled its leopard population under the commission's tenure.
·
Professional Exchange & Training: Next summer,
selected Saudi and AlUla students will participate in a professional training
program at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Virginia to
cultivate local conservation expertise.
·
Cultural & Educational Display: The future
Washington exhibit will feature a sandstone replica of an ancient AlUla
petroglyph—dating between 800 BCE and 400 CE—depicting an Arabian leopard,
underscoring the species' historical significance to the region.
Ecosystem
Restoration Efforts in AlUla
The international transfer complements extensive habitat restoration work underway in Saudi Arabia. The RCU has placed over 50% of AlUla under protected status, focusing on ecosystem recovery prior to any future wild reintroductions:
Read More Rare
Rüppell's vulture spotted in Saudi Arabia's AlUla, strengthening its role as a
global bird sanctuary
·
Vegetation Recovery: The AlUla Native Plant Nursery
has generated over one million seedlings. In Sharaan National Park, ongoing
rehabilitation across 74,400 hectares has increased vegetation cover from 6% in
2018 to 50% as of mid-2026.
·
Prey Base Reestablishment: More than 1,700 native
herbivores have been released into protected reserves, establishing successful
breeding populations to rebuild the natural food chain required for eventual
leopard reintroduction.
The Washington habitat will serve as a global flagship for the species, joining existing regional conservation facilities in the UAE and Bahrain in the efforts to prevent its extinction.
Source:
The National News
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