Arabian Leopard

The Arabian Leopard is an animal of the Felidae family, known scientifically as Panthera pardus nimr. It is a subspecies of the endangered leopard and one of the smallest leopard subspecies. It weighs on average between 30 and 40 kg for males and between 25 and 35 kg for females, and it originated in Africa about 500,000 years ago.[1]

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified it as Critically Endangered since 1996, and only limited numbers remain in the wild of the Arabian Peninsula, which has made it the focus of national and international efforts to conserve it.[1][2]

The Arabian Leopard is among the rarest leopard subspecies in the world, and it is classified as Critically Endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a classification in place since 1996.[1][2]

To raise awareness of this endangered wild species, the United Nations General Assembly declared 10 February a world day for the Arabian Leopard, following global recognition of it in June 2023.[1] In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Council of Ministers adopted the tenth of February each year as the Arabian Leopard Day.[8]

AlUla Governorate has a deep historical relationship with the Arabian Leopard extending over thousands of years, documented by the rock inscriptions spread across its mountains and valleys, which reflect its presence in the natural environment and the cultural identity of the region as one of the symbols of ecological balance in the Arabian Peninsula.[7]

In 1416 AH, a decision was issued to form a national committee for the conservation of the Arabian Leopard, working in coordination with the national committees in the Arab Gulf states where the leopard is found. A directive was also issued to begin a programme for breeding the Arabian Leopard at the National Centre for Wildlife Research in Taif.[12]

On 27 February 2007, An-Namas Governorate hosted the symposium "The Saudi Arabian Leopard and the Risk of Extinction", in cooperation with King Saud University and King Khalid University.[12]

The Arabian Leopard Breeding and Conservation Centre in AlUla is the only site currently active in the world specialising in breeding the Arabian Leopard for its conservation.[7] Since its management passed to the Royal Commission for AlUla in 2020, the number of leopards there has risen from 14 to 31.[2]

The centre's record includes successive births, among them seven cubs in 2023 and five further births, including a set of triplets.[2] On 4 December 2024, the birth of triplet Arabian Leopard cubs, two males and a female, was announced, the first documented case of triplet births in captivity in the Kingdom and the third of its kind in thirty years.[6] The centre obtained accreditation from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) on 9 January 2025, making it the first institution of its kind in the Kingdom to receive this membership.[2]

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, launched the Sharaan Nature Reserve in AlUla Governorate on 10 February 2019, as part of a series of major strategic projects, and the initiative included the establishment of the largest global fund of its kind to protect the Arabian Leopard, named the Global Fund for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard.[4]

The reserve is among the most prominent protected areas in AlUla Governorate, and it has obtained the Green List accreditation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[5] On 8 November 2020, the reserve witnessed the largest release of endangered wildlife by number of species, in which 25 mountain ibex, 50 reem gazelles, 20 idmi gazelles and 10 Arabian oryx were released, restoring the wildlife that had spread through the region.[11]

The Royal Commission for AlUla established the Arabian Leopard Fund by royal decree with initial funding of 25 million US dollars to support efforts to conserve the Arabian Leopard regionally and globally.[9] In partnership with the Commission, the Fund launched the Arabian Leopard Scholarship Programme on 14 February 2024, comprising 50 scholarships.[9] On 24 June 2026, a strategic cooperation agreement was signed to study the genome of the Arabian Leopard, after the building of its first high-quality genome to form a scientific basis for future research studies.[3]

In the field of partnerships, the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Arabian Leopard Fund signed two memoranda of understanding with Catmosphere on 10 February 2022.[8] On 14 May 2025, a strategic cooperation agreement was announced with the National Zoological Park and the Conservation Biology Institute of the Smithsonian Institution, providing for the loan of a pair of AlUla Arabian leopards to the American capital, Washington, in support of international efforts to protect the Arabian Leopard.[10]

Q: What is the Arabian Leopard? A: A subspecies of the endangered leopard and one of the smallest leopard subspecies, known scientifically as Panthera pardus nimr.[1]

Q: What is its status on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature? A: It is classified as Critically Endangered since 1996.[1][2]

Q: When is the Arabian Leopard Day? A: 10 February, declared by the United Nations General Assembly a world day for the Arabian Leopard, and adopted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the Arabian Leopard Day each year.[1][8]

Q: What is the Arabian Leopard Breeding and Conservation Centre? A: The only site currently active in the world specialising in breeding the Arabian Leopard for its conservation, located in AlUla Governorate, and the number of leopards there has risen from 14 to 31 since 2020.[7][2]

The Arabian Leopard combines its presence as a symbol of ecological balance in the Arabian Peninsula with national conservation efforts extending from the national committee for the conservation of the Arabian Leopard and the breeding programme at the National Centre for Wildlife Research in Taif to the Arabian Leopard Breeding and Conservation Centre in AlUla Governorate and the Sharaan Nature Reserve.[7][12]

Its topics on the platform connect to the Arabian Oryx, the Ibex Reserve, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, the Saudi Green Initiative and AlUla Old Town.