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Little is known about the current presence of the Arabian leopard Panthera pardus nimr in the Nejd region of Dhofar Mountains. We report here the first camera trapping records of this critically endangered subspecies in Wadi Amat.
The northward draining valleys of the Dhofar Mountains, known as the Nejd, would once have been part of the range of t...
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... is known about the current presence of the Arabian leopard Panthera par- dus nimr in the Nejd region of Dhofar Mountains. We report here the first camera trapping records of this critically endangered subspecies in Wadi Amat. Fig. 1) and 21 January 2014 and once on 9 May 2014. On one occasion the male leopard was accom� panied �y a female. These records of the Ara�ian leopard in the Nejd region (Fig. 2) of Dhofar indicate that the leopard range may have expanded north, at least in the central�western Nejd. However, time will tell if this is the case or if this is ...
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Citations
... Samhan, Jabal Qara, and Jabal Qamar and spanning approximately 250 km, this area is considered the last stronghold for the Arabian leopard ( Figure 2; Breitenmoser et al., 2010). The 2013 discovery of several individuals in the Nejd-the northern foothills of Jabal Qara-represented a small northward extension of the current known range (Al Hikmani et al., 2015). Threats faced by Arabian leopards in the Arabian Peninsula include illegal killing by livestock owners, prey depletion, loss of prime habitat, and capture for the illegal pet trade (Al Jumaily et al., 2006;Spalton, Al Hikmani, Jahdhami, et al., 2006;Zafar-ul Islam et al., 2018). ...
Genetic diversity underpins evolutionary potential that is essential for the long‐term viability of wildlife populations. Captive populations harbor genetic diversity potentially lost in the wild, which could be valuable for release programs and genetic rescue. The Critically Endangered Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) has disappeared from most of its former range across the Arabian Peninsula, with fewer than 120 individuals left in the wild, and an additional 64 leopards in captivity. We (i) examine genetic diversity in the wild and captive populations to identify global patterns of genetic diversity and structure; (ii) estimate the size of the remaining leopard population across the Dhofar mountains of Oman using spatially explicit capture–recapture models on DNA and camera trap data, and (iii) explore the impact of genetic rescue using three complementary computer modeling approaches. We estimated a population size of 51 (95% CI 32–79) in the Dhofar mountains and found that 8 out of 25 microsatellite alleles present in eight loci in captive leopards were undetected in the wild. This includes two alleles present only in captive founders known to have been wild‐sourced from Yemen, which suggests that this captive population represents an important source for genetic rescue. We then assessed the benefits of reintroducing novel genetic diversity into the wild population as well as the risks of elevating the genetic load through the release of captive‐bred individuals. Simulations indicate that genetic rescue can improve the long‐term viability of the wild population by reducing its genetic load and realized load. The model also suggests that the genetic load has been partly purged in the captive population, potentially making it a valuable source population for genetic rescue. However, the greater loss of its genetic diversity could exacerbate genomic erosion of the wild population during a rescue program, and these risks and benefits should be carefully evaluated. An important next step in the recovery of the Arabian leopard is to empirically validate these conclusions, implement and monitor a genomics‐informed management plan, and optimize a strategy for genetic rescue as a tool to recover Arabia's last big cat.
... The Arabian leopard is the last big cat species in the Middle East with very low connectivity between patches [48]. It is assumed that the only remaining wild population is confined to a tiny area in Dhofar Governorate of Oman, specifically, at the Jabal Samhan (Samhan Mountain; elevation 1800-2200 ft.) natural reserve [48][49][50][51], evident through a recent spotting of twins by camera traps [50]. Of note, in neighboring south eastern Yemen, the transboundary protected area of Hawf is thought to have a wild population that is nearly extinct with last sightings occurring half a decade ago [52][53][54][55]. ...
Rationale: Big felids including the Panthera genus are under tremendous stressful conditions that threaten the very existence of wild populations around the world. Survivability is commonly linked to numerous factors such as poaching, habitat fragmentation, inbreeding depression and lack of prey. A crucial element that is used to mitigate endangerment risk is the enhancement of reproductive performance with the use of assisted reproductive technologies. Amongst them is computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) that digitally evaluates the kinematics of individual spermatozoa. Regrettably, this powerful tool is overlooked in all big felids due to the lack of a universal setting.Objective: To conduct a comparative CASA with several species modules and to deploy it for the first time in the critically endangered Arabian leopard.Results: The progressive motility was variable amongst all settings, whereby the highest in the bovine standard (82.9%), lowest in the stallion setting (12%), subjective (85%) and average at 50.1%. The combination of all motility parametrics, indicate a progressive joining of two minor and two major clusters with a very high distance of 93% and a linkage space of approximately 42%. This in turn demonstrate notable divergence of two important kinematic settings.Conclusion: The current study illustrates the inconsistent and incompatible readings amongst various CASA species modules. This affirms the urgent need to establish CASA exclusively customized for the Panthera genus to maximize the reproductive potential.
... Prior estimates including results from a camera trap survey from 1997-2000, suggested a breeding population of at least 17 leopards in the Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve, and an additional 9-11 leopards in Jabal Qara and Jabal Qamar extending west of Jabal Samham into Yemen (Spalton et al., 2006b). Recent camera trapping in 2014 captured the leopard in the Nejd, or the north-facing valleys of the Dhofar Mountains, representing potential range expansion into historical habitats (Al- Hikmani et al., 2015). ...
We compared the effectiveness of various methods for surveying medium and large wild mammals in southern Oman. Working with volunteers recruited by Biosphere Expeditions, wildlife professionals and local rangers, we used direct observation, camera traps, sign surveys (tracks and/or dung) and molecular scatology to study 66 sampling units of 2 × 2 km (grid cells) in an area of 32 × 36 km during a 4-week period in February–March 2011. Sixteen mammal species were recorded, and the largest numbers of species were recorded by sign surveys and camera traps (both n = 9); sign surveys, direct sightings and DNA scatology recorded species across the largest number of grid cells. For species with a sample size large enough for comparison (i.e. detected in ≥ 8 grid cells), DNA scatology proved most effective for detecting caracal
Caracal caracal
, signs for hyaena
Hyaena hyaena
, ibex
Capra nubiana
, porcupine
Hystrix indica
and hyrax
Procavia capensis
, and signs and direct sightings for mountain gazelle
Gazella gazella
. Clustering, in which records from multiple methods are either adjacent or overlapping, was highest (≥ 76%) for the wolf
Canis lupus
, porcupine, ibex and gazelle. Our results indicate the best methods to detect and record the distributions of individual species in the study area, and demonstrate the advantage of using multiple methods to reduce the risk of false absences or partial detections. Our findings also highlight the potential of clustering as a means of cross-checking results of observations that are skill-dependent, which is particularly useful when employing a large workforce.
