Under the guidance and support of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Royal Commission for Al-Ula established the Global Fund to Protect the Arabian Leopard from Extinction in the Sharaan Reserve in Al-Ula.
The Saudi Minister of Culture and Governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, said via Twitter, “With the guidance and support of the Crown Prince, the Royal Commission for Al-Ula has established the Global Fund to Protect the Arabian Leopard from Extinction in the Sharaan Reserve in Al-Ula.”
The Arabian leopard is one of the most famous animals in the Arabian Peninsula, and the Arabian leopard was included by the IUCN in the list of endangered animals in 1996.
The latest information indicates that the remaining numbers of the Arabian leopard do not exceed 200, registering a decrease of 90% in the Hejaz heights and the Sarawat mountain range, and the presence of the Arabian leopard was also monitored in the mountains of the Emirates, Oman and Yemen.
It has appeared only four times in Saudi Arabia during the last 25 years, as follows:
* 1992 in the Al-Fara Mountains (80 km west of Medina).
* 2007, a case was recorded in Al-Namas, southern Saudi Arabia.
* 2011 in Balharith, an area of the Makkah Province.
* 2014 that was registered in the Numan area of Makkah.
Despite the blazing heat in the summer in the Arabian Peninsula, in addition to the drought and shortage of water and food it suffers from, the Arabian leopard was able to adapt and survive with its bloodline in front of the threat of extinction to this day.
