Poisoning of endangered Arabian leopard in Saudi Arabia and its conservation efforts

Abstract

Many killings of leopards can be attributed to livestock protection. When catching goats, sheep, young camels or other domestic animals, leopards interfere with human activities and are seen as straight competitors. With the decrease of natural prey species, they have to more and more shift their diet to livestock, which increases their unpopularity. In most cases, they are also considered as a threat for human. As a result, leopard is hunted across its range, with different methods (trapping, poisoning, shooting). Poisoning using anticoagulant rat killer was common in the eighties, which was stopped in 1985 unlike trapping. A total of only five known incidences of poisoning of Arabian leopards Panthera pardus nimr have been recorded in Saudi Arabia between 1965 and 2014. Shepherds poisoned the carcasses of sheep, goats, camel thought to have been killed by a predator such as Arabian wolf Canis lupus arabs, striped hyena Hyaena hyaena or stray dogs and unfortunately, the predator in these instances was the elusive Arabian leopard. The Arabian leopard is Saudi Arabia's flag-ship predator and is listed as Critically En-dangered by the IUCN (Mallon et al. 2008, Boug et al. 2009, Islam et al. 2011), with an effective population of 100-250 across its en-tire range in the Arabian Peninsula (Islam et al. 2011). It is also considered to be a geneti-cally distinct subspecies (Mallon et al. 2008). Known locally as Al nimr al-arabi, this leop-ard subspecies is small, adapted to desert habitats and endemic to the Arabian Penin-sula. It once occupied the mountainous rim of the Arabian Peninsula, albeit at low densities given the harsh environment and limited prey base (Fig. 1). Historically much of the leopard's range was located within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Fig. 1), which decreased by about 90% since the 19th Century (Judas et al. 2006, Boug et al. 2009). Primary threats to the species are habitat degradation and fragmentation re-sulting from road or track construction (and which facilitate access for poachers), over-grazing by sheep and goats, construction of new houses (especially in rural areas), urbanization along the Asir Range on the Biljurashi Plateau, and mining or gravel extraction development. Depletion of the leopard's prey base and retributive killing are the greatest threats. Excessive illegal hunting has greatly

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CATnews 60 Spring 2014
16
short communication
M. ZAFAR-UL ISLAM1*, AHMED BOUG1, ABDULLAH AS-SHEHRI1 & MUKHLID AL JAID1
Poisoning of endangered Ara-
bian leopard in Saudi Arabia
and its conservation efforts
Many killings of leopards can be attributed to livestock protection. When catching
goats, sheep, young camels or other domestic animals, leopards interfere with hu-
man activities and are seen as straight competitors. With the decrease of natural
prey species, they have to more and more shift their diet to livestock, which increas-
es their unpopularity. In most cases, they are also considered as a threat for human.
As a result, leopard is hunted across its range, with different methods (trapping, poi-
soning, shooting). Poisoning using anticoagulant rat killer was common in the eight-
ies, which was stopped in 1985 unlike trapping. A total of only five known incidences
of poisoning of Arabian leopards Panthera pardus nimr have been recorded in Saudi
Arabia between 1965 and 2014. Shepherds poisoned the carcasses of sheep, goats,
camel thought to have been killed by a predator such as Arabian wolf Canis lupus
arabs, striped hyena Hyaena hyaena or stray dogs and unfortunately, the predator in
these instances was the elusive Arabian leopard.
The Arabian leopard is Saudi Arabia’s flag-
ship predator and is listed as Critically En-
dangered by the IUCN (Mallon et al. 2008,
Boug et al. 2009, Islam et al. 2011), with an
effective population of 100-250 across its en-
tire range in the Arabian Peninsula (Islam et
al. 2011). It is also considered to be a geneti-
cally distinct subspecies (Mallon et al. 2008).
Known locally as Al nimr al-arabi, this leop-
ard subspecies is small, adapted to desert
habitats and endemic to the Arabian Penin-
sula. It once occupied the mountainous rim of
the Arabian Peninsula, albeit at low densities
given the harsh environment and limited prey
base (Fig. 1).
Historically much of the leopard’s range was
located within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(Fig. 1), which decreased by about 90% since
the 19th Century (Judas et al. 2006, Boug et
al. 2009). Primary threats to the species are
habitat degradation and fragmentation re-
sulting from road or track construction (and
which facilitate access for poachers), over-
grazing by sheep and goats, construction of
new houses (especially in rural areas), urban-
ization along the Asir Range on the Biljurashi
Plateau, and mining or gravel extraction de-
velopment. Depletion of the leopard’s prey
base and retributive killing are the greatest
threats. Excessive illegal hunting has greatly
depleted key prey populations like the Nubian
ibex Capra nubiana, Hyrax Procavia capensis,
and Cape hare Lepus capensis (Al Johany
2007). As a consequence, the leopard has be-
come increasingly dependent upon domestic
stock for its subsistence, in turn leading to
retaliation by those herders losing animals.
Carcasses are poisoned and traps set to kill
the predator whenever it is encountered (Ju-
das et al. 2006). Although legally protected,
the current law enforcement is ineffective (Al
Johany 2007, Judas et al. 2006). Finally, there
are reports of the sale of furs and rarely live
animals sold in the market. For example one
cat was sold for $4,800 in the Al Khawbah
market in 1997 (Judas et al. 2006). Leopard
fat is valued by some locals for its perceived
medicinal properties (Judas et al. 2006).
Incidences of leopard poisoning
A total of only five known incidences of
poisoning of Arabian leopards have been
recorded in Saudi Arabia between 1965 and
2014 (Fig. 1, Table 1). Shepherds poisoned the
carcasses of sheep, goats, camel thought to
have been killed by a predator such as Ara-
bian wolf, striped hyena or stray dogs. Unfor-
tunately, the predator in these instances was
the elusive Arabian leopard (Fig. 2).
One of the first known poisoned leopards was
in Fiqrah mountain in Hijaz range in Madinah
province, where one leopard was found dead
in 1992; the Saudi Wildlife Authority team
investigated and confirmed the carcass was
a leopard (A. Boug, pers. comm.). Al Johany
(2007) interviewed local people who con-
firmed the presence of leopard some decades
before in the Jabal Radwa. The Fiqrah moun-
tain which is at about 1,800 m is barren and
sparsly vegetated. Recent camera trap studies
have confirmed the presence of wolf, striped
hyena, Blanford’s fox Vulpes cana, honey
badger Mellivora capensis, honey collectors
and hunters (Jackson et al. 2010).
The second site is An Namas in the South-
western Highlands in Asir mountain, which
was identified as a globally important bio-
diversity hotspots by Conservation Interna-
tional. The hills are above 2,000 m and the
vegetation is dominated by thick juniper for-
est and rich in animal diversity that include
Nubian ibex, mountain gazelles Gazelle ga-
zella cora, hyraxes, Blanford’s fox and red
foxes Vulpes vulpes, caracal Caracal caracal,
Arabian wolves, striped hyenas and Arabian
leopard (Nader 1996, Jackson et al. 2010).
The carcasses of two leopards were found
in January 2007. Since 2010, more than 70
Fig. 1. Current distribution range of the Arabian leopard and sites where leopards re-
cently have been poisoned in Saudi Arabia (map by M. Z. Islam and S. Davande).

CATnews 60 Spring 2014
17
camera traps were installed in An Namas and
nearby areas.
Bani Saad was the third site where a male
leopard was found dead in April 2011. The
site is 65 km from Taif city in the south, where
25 camera traps were installed and key spe-
cies recorded were Arabian wolves, striped
hyenas, caracal Caracal caracal and foxes as
well as local people and honey collectors.
A male leopard was found dead at the fourth
site, Wadi Al-Nauman village near Al Hada,
Taif. The complete skin along with head of
the leopard was obtained on 23 February
2014 and 30 camera traps were installed
in the mountains. Besides people, Arabian
wolves, striped hyenas, honey badgers and
Blanford’s fox were pictured.
Poisoning of Arabian leopard in Saudi Arabia
According to the wildlife laws of the coun-
try, it is illegal to poison or threatened any
animal. In the cases mentioned above, shep-
herds found dead livestock and poisoned
them to reduce the incidence of livestock
depredation. On finding the dead leopards,
the shepherds were surprised as they ex-
pected wolves or stray dogs and were not
aware of the presence of leopards in those
areas. These incidents were acts of blind kill-
ing because shepherds were not targeting a
specific species.
Saudi Wildlife Authority is working hard to
save the Arabian leopard from extinction
through a three-pronged initiative (Islam et al.
2011): (1) the captive breeding program where
the National Wildlife Research Centre NWRC
has 11 leopards (Boug et al. 2009); (2) mea-
sures involving research and wildlife studies
including workshops, to learn more about the
Arabian leopard and identify ways and means
to protect it. This includes installing infra-red
camera traps to monitor them and their move-
ments; and (3) Public awareness where the
National Wildlife Authority with its National
Wildlife Research Center based in Taif visits
schools, universities and other educational
institutions to spread awareness about this
Critically Endangered cat.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to His Highness Prince Bandar bin
Mohammed bin Saud al Saud (President of Saudi
Wildlife Authority) for his support and guidance
for the conservation of Arabian Leopard and as-
Fig. 2. Carcass of male Arabian leopard
found in February 2014 at Al Hada Moun-
tain near Taif.
sistance from staff of the NWRC, as well as local
community members.
References
Al-Johany A. M. H. 2007. Distribution and conser-
vation of the Arabian leopard Panthera pardus
nimr in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Arid Environ-
ments 68, 20-30.
Boug A., Islam M. Z. & Shehri A. 2009. Captive-
breeding of Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus
nimr in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Wildlife
Middle East 4, 2.
Islam M. Z., Boug A., Shehri A., & Jackson R. 2011.
National Strategy and Action Plan for the conser-
vation of the Arabian Leopard in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. Saudi Wildlife Authority/National
Wildlife Research Center, Saudi Arabia. 30 pp.
Jackson R., Boug A., Islam M. Z. & Shehri A. 2010.
Camera-Trapping Manual for the Arabian
Leopard. NWRC and SWC. 47 pp.
Judas J., Paillat P., Khoja A., & Boug, A. 2006. Sta-
tus of the Arabian Leopard in Saudi Arabia. Cat
News Special Issue 1, 11-19.
Mallon D. P., Breitenmoser U. & Ahmad Khan J.
2008. Panthera pardus ssp. nimr. In IUCN 2010.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version
2010.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded
on 09 October 2010.
Nader I. A. 1996. Distribution and status of five
species of predators in Saudi Arabia. Journal
of Wildlife Research 1, 210-214.
1 National Wildlife Research Center, PO Box 1086,
Taif, Saudi Arabia
*<mzafarul.islam@gmail.com>
Table 1. Location and details of dead Arabian leopards in Saudi Arabia.
Site name Number & sex of
Arabian leopard Date found Elevation Nearest Town Notes
Al Hada One (sex not known) 1965 1,200 m Al Hada near Taif King Faisal bin Abdulaziz was given a
stuffed leopard by people from Al Hada
through Prince Mishal.
Fiqrah mountain One (sex not known) 1992 1,197 m Madinah Munawarrah
(90km SE)
Carcass was collected (skull & legs) and
submitted to SWA.
Sufhat Shaiba in
An Namas
Two (1male,1female) January
2007
2,210 m An Namas (10km) Poisoned leopards displayed on rock by the
road, only photo available. SWA appointed
two persons as wildlife rangers from the
local tribe. Camera traps installed.
Bani Saad One (adult male) April 2011 1,800 m Assuhan, Bani Saad
(10km NE)
Skull, legs and tail were retrieved and kept
at NWRC, Taif. Camera traps installed.
Wadi Nauman One (adult male) 21February
2014
740 m Al Hada (5km E) and
Makkah (32km in W)
Herdsman said a small camel killed by a
‘leopard’. Camera trapping around the site
didn’t catch any leopard. SWA appointed
three persons as rangers from the local
tribe. Complete skin with head carcass is
kept at NWRC, Taif.

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CAT
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N° 60 | SPRING 2014

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