The rapid decline in Arabian leopard populations has been abetted by weak legislative efforts and poor law enforcement practices across the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Arabian leopard, or Panthera pardus nimr, is a leopard subspecies native to the Arabian Peninsula, considered the smallest and rarest of the leopard subspecies. The leopards are distinguished by their small size; the largest among them weigh less than 30 kilograms (66 pounds), less than half of their African and Asian counterparts. Unfortunately, the Arabian leopard is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be critically endangered; due to widespread loss of their natural habitat and illegal hunting, fewer than 200 animals remain in the wild and are scattered across Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.
Saving the Arabian Leopard: Improving the Gulf States’ Environmental Policies - Gulf International Forum
The Arabian leopard, or Panthera pardus nimr, is a leopard subspecies native to the Arabian Peninsula, considered the smallest and rarest of the leopard subspecies. The leopards are distinguished by their small size; the largest among them weigh less than 30 kilograms (66 pounds), less than half of their African and Asian counterparts. Unfortunately, the Arabian leopard is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be critically endangered; due to widespread loss of their natural habitat and illegal hunting, fewer than 200 animals remain in the wild and are scattered across Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.
Saving the Arabian Leopard: Improving the Gulf States’ Environmental Policies - Gulf International Forum