Big cat focus of conservation
Inaugural Arabian Leopard Day kicks off across the region
Published: 05:02 PM,Feb 11,2022 | EDITED : 09:02 PM,Feb 11,2022
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT, FEB 11
Iconic buildings and historic landmarks in Oman and Saudi Arabia were proudly lit up on Thursday to mark the first-ever Arabian Leopard Day. Stunning illuminations, inspired by the majestic but critically endangered big cats, were simultaneously projected on a highly prominent electronic billboard on Sultan Qaboos University Road in Muscat, Riyadh’s King Faisal Foundation building, Jeddah’s King Road Tower, Adeer Tower in Al Khobar, Elephant Rock in AlUla, Burj Khalifa and as well as KSA’s Expo 2020 pavilion in Dubai.
Across the region Arabian Leopard Day is also being marked with classroom education initiatives as well as social media outreach throughout the day with the hashtag #ArabianLeopardDay. And in a public show of support, many government entities across Saudi Arabia will incorporate the official Arabian Leopard Day logo on their websites and social media today.
In an important step forward, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Catmosphere foundation to strengthen regional efforts to protect the future of the Arabian Leopard. RCU and Catmosphere will work closely together on a series of sustainable and innovative events, campaigns, and outreach initiatives research with the shared goal of safeguarding the future of the Arabian Leopard, an animal of national pride in Saudi Arabia and around the region.
The inaugural Arabian Leopard Day highlights the desperate plight of the species, which once freely roamed the Arabian Peninsula but is now restricted to small, scattered populations in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.
Numbering fewer than 200 in the wild, the Arabian Leopard is categorised as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and is considered to be at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
great potential
Last year’s birth of a female cub at the Arabian Leopard Breeding Centre in Taif, Saudi Arabia, highlighted the great potential for reintroducing the species into the wilderness and mountains around AlUla and beyond. However, there remains a long and difficult road ahead with efforts ongoing to establish a protected habitat to restore the population.
RCU, which is regenerating a 22,561km2 area of north-west Saudi Arabia as a global destination for natural and cultural heritage, has committed USD 25 million to the Arabian Leopard Fund, an independent organisation created to implement conservation projects across the leopard’s home range. RCU has designated five nature reserves covering 12,500km2 and will be working with leading experts such as Panthera and IUCN to activate, conserve and safeguard these protected areas with a vision that leopards might someday roam free again. Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers has designated Arabian Leopard Day to take place on February 10 each year.
MUSCAT, FEB 11
Iconic buildings and historic landmarks in Oman and Saudi Arabia were proudly lit up on Thursday to mark the first-ever Arabian Leopard Day. Stunning illuminations, inspired by the majestic but critically endangered big cats, were simultaneously projected on a highly prominent electronic billboard on Sultan Qaboos University Road in Muscat, Riyadh’s King Faisal Foundation building, Jeddah’s King Road Tower, Adeer Tower in Al Khobar, Elephant Rock in AlUla, Burj Khalifa and as well as KSA’s Expo 2020 pavilion in Dubai.
Across the region Arabian Leopard Day is also being marked with classroom education initiatives as well as social media outreach throughout the day with the hashtag #ArabianLeopardDay. And in a public show of support, many government entities across Saudi Arabia will incorporate the official Arabian Leopard Day logo on their websites and social media today.
In an important step forward, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Catmosphere foundation to strengthen regional efforts to protect the future of the Arabian Leopard. RCU and Catmosphere will work closely together on a series of sustainable and innovative events, campaigns, and outreach initiatives research with the shared goal of safeguarding the future of the Arabian Leopard, an animal of national pride in Saudi Arabia and around the region.
The inaugural Arabian Leopard Day highlights the desperate plight of the species, which once freely roamed the Arabian Peninsula but is now restricted to small, scattered populations in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.
Numbering fewer than 200 in the wild, the Arabian Leopard is categorised as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and is considered to be at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
great potential
Last year’s birth of a female cub at the Arabian Leopard Breeding Centre in Taif, Saudi Arabia, highlighted the great potential for reintroducing the species into the wilderness and mountains around AlUla and beyond. However, there remains a long and difficult road ahead with efforts ongoing to establish a protected habitat to restore the population.
RCU, which is regenerating a 22,561km2 area of north-west Saudi Arabia as a global destination for natural and cultural heritage, has committed USD 25 million to the Arabian Leopard Fund, an independent organisation created to implement conservation projects across the leopard’s home range. RCU has designated five nature reserves covering 12,500km2 and will be working with leading experts such as Panthera and IUCN to activate, conserve and safeguard these protected areas with a vision that leopards might someday roam free again. Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers has designated Arabian Leopard Day to take place on February 10 each year.