Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AI Ula (RCU) has revealed that a male and female cub were born on April 26 at the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Wildlife Research Center in Taif.
The two cubs are over 12 weeks old, have received all of their vaccinations and undergone full veterinary examinations.
The cubs were born under a breeding programme which aims to help preserve critically endangered species. The births have been hailed in Saudia Arabia as a bid to reintroduce the severely endangered big cat back into the wild.
During the initial 12 week period of the leopards’ lives, they successfully bonded with their 10-year-old mother Hamms, learnt important behaviors and grew stronger in the seclusion of their den. The cubs will remain with their mother for the next 18 months to two years which is in line with the best practice for captive breeding programs.
Saudi Minister of Culture and RCU Gov. Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud, said: “This is a historic moment in our efforts to reintroduce the Arabian leopard to the Al Ula region. “With fewer than an estimated 200 Arabian leopards remaining in the wild globally, this is one of the most critically endangered animals in the world, and these cubs represent a new beacon of hope for the renewal of a subspecies on the brink of extinction. It is our duty to protect, conserve and build population numbers to preserve the species from becoming a footnote of history.”
As a center of excellence, the RCU is establishing a steering committee with leading experts from around the world engaged in an effort to enhance and inform ALI’s captive breeding, husbandry, veterinary and reintroduction practices in the existing breeding facility located in Taif.
In February it was announced that the newly created Global Fund for the Arabian Leopard will have an initial endowment of $25 million (SR $94 million), making it the largest fund in the world dedicated to safeguarding the Arabian leopard. Currently in the strategic planning and operational set-up phase, the fund will be fully mobilized by the end of this year.
The news of the leopard cubs’ birth follows the signing in June of a partnership agreement between the RCU governor and Dr. Thomas Kaplan, chairman of the global wild cat conservation organization Panthera. Through this partnership, Saudi Arabia has in turn joined the Global Alliance for Wild Cats, making a commitment to invest $20 million over the next 10 years.
