The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has announced the birth of a rare litter of three Arabian leopard cubs – one male and two females – marking a major milestone in efforts to safeguard the future of these big cats.

 

The triplets were born at RCU’s Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Centre this summer. The first time three cubs have been born together in captivity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the youngsters are being closely observed by the centre’s expert team who are recording their behaviour and interactions.

 

Announced at COP16, the births support RCU’s goal to reintroduce Arabian Leopards to the wild through rewilding and regreening, aligned with SGI goals. This includes six reserves spanning 12,160 sq km and initiatives like planting 500,000+ native trees in the 

 

Sharaan Nature Reserve

Carefully observed via CCTV so as not to disturb them, the new cubs are already displaying distinctive personalities, with the two males proving to be particularly boisterous, climbing rocks in their enclosure and play fighting with each other. The female, on the other hand, is much shyer and more attached to their mother.

 

The triplets’ parents are a father named Baher, and a 6-year-old mother called Ward. Baher, aged approximately 13, is one of two leopards known as Founders who were brought to the conservation breeding centre as part of a regional exchange programme to add to the genetic diversity of the population, founding a new bloodline, and thereby increase the viability of the breeding programme. Baher arrived in December 2023 on a one-year loan from the Royal Court of Oman.

 

While records from past decades are imperfect, this is believed to be only the third litter of Arabian Leopard triplets born in captivity in roughly the past 30 years, and the first in Saudi Arabia. Currently, the Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Centre is the world’s most successful site for the conservation breeding of Arabian Leopards. 

 

Long-term goal

The project’s long-term goal is the reintroduction of this iconic big cat into the wild in AlUla. Vital to this is the restoration and rehabilitation of the RCU’s six nature reserves, which are actively contributing to the SGI’s national commitment to protect 30% of terrestrial and marine areas since their declaration in 2019.

 

Each of the triplets have received their first vaccinations and health checks, which allowed staff to confirm their sexes. Despite their young age, individual social behaviours are emerging between the cubs, with the males described by staff as “naughty, rough-and-tumble” while the female is “sweet and attentive”.

 

This dynamic between siblings is essential for the cubs’ wellbeing, welfare, and behaviour. From a very young age, a hierarchy will be established with the cubs learning how to co-exist with each other as they get older. They will spend around 18 months their mother.

 

The centre has enjoyed something of a baby boom recently, with the triplets’ arrival coming less than a month after twin cubs were born earlier in the year. They were fathered by 13-year-old male named Ali and a 5-year-old female named Fajr, meaning dawn in Arabic. This is the pair’s second litter together.

 

The twins, one male and one female, are both attached to each other and to their mother, following her everywhere. They are growing and getting braver, spending most of their time hiding between rocks and playing together. 

 

Continued progress

The births show the continued progress of RCU’s vital work to restore the Arabian Leopard population, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified as critically endangered since 1996, with roughly 100 estimated to remain in the wild.

 

RCU’s centre, welcomed seven births last year and five so far this year. There are now 32 leopards at the centre – more than double the original 14 when RCU took over the project in 2020.

Dr Stephen Browne, VP of Wildlife and Natural Heritage, RCU said: “The Arabian Leopard is a powerful symbol of our vision to conserve AlUla’s natural environment through a conservation programme that is restoring nature’s balance. RCU is committed to preparing leopards born at the centre for release into the wild, ensuring they have minimum human contact and are fully equipped for reintroduction. These efforts will ultimately lead to Arabian Leopards once again roaming free in AlUla’s protected nature reserves.”--TradeArabia News Service