Arabian Leopard Day: it's time to put the species at the forefront of conservation

One endearing achievement gives me further reason for hope - the birth of an Arabian leopard cub in Taif

Leopards are targeted by bushmeat poachers and trophy hunters for their skin and other body parts. Photo: Aline Coquelle

We can make a difference in the world by seeing value where others do not.

I started my career investing in silver at a time when the metal was rather out of fashion. When the cycle turned, however, my silver suddenly took on a golden allure.

In 2003, my wife Daphne and I embarked on the establishment of an art collection centred on that period about which we were most passionate: the Dutch Golden Age. With classical art being so undervalued then – a Rembrandt fetched far less than a Warhol, although Warhols greatly outnumber Rembrandts – we were able to assemble and share our collection of the Dutch Master and his school.

It is my opinion that wildcats today are even more undervalued than silver or the artworks of Old Masters were in the past.

Hear me out.

The wildcats of the world are beautiful, noble animals facing an existential threat. They require vast landscapes and access to food, yet their ranges are shrinking and their prey densities are diminishing even as I write this. Simply put, we have failed to properly value their continued existence.

In 2006, I co-founded Panthera, a conservation organisation that is on a mission to ensure a future for wildcats and their critical ecosystems. It is immensely gratifying to see that Panthera’s passion for conservation is shared by our partners at the Royal Commission for AlUla.

Alongside other conservation groups, the RCU has campaigned to have today, February 10, marked as the inaugural Arabian Leopard Day, an event I believe will generate significant momentum in the years to come.

Back in June 2019, at a ceremony in AlUla, Panthera and the RCU signed an agreement to join forces in advancing our common affinity for protecting the Arabian leopard. It has since designated 12,500 square kilometres to be conserved across five nature reserves, collaborating with the International Union for Conservation of Nature to ensure they are sustainably managed and meet international best-practice standards. It is also operating a breeding programme in Taif and has established the $25-million Arabian Leopard Fund to help recover the critically endangered species.

That is precisely the kind of space and support that wildcats need.

Together, Panthera and the RCU are committed to reintroducing the Arabian leopard to AlUla and beyond. Time is indeed of the essence. Leopards and their critical habitat are at risk everywhere on the planet. While they enjoy the largest range of all the big cats and occupy a variety of habitats, from the Congo rainforest to the deserts of the Middle East – and have a remarkable capacity for adaptation – leopard populations are in steep decline across Africa and Asia.

A map comparing their present and former habitats sadly mirrors a leopard’s coat, that is, a patchwork of spots they presently inhabit, speckled across the much wider backdrop of their historic range.

Of all the big cats, leopards are one of the most persecuted: shot by trophy hunters and bushmeat poachers; trapped in snares meant for other species; killed in retaliation for the real or perceived threat they pose to livestock; and gutted for their skin and other body parts, which are sought for ceremonial regalia.

As a result, leopards have vanished from 84 per cent of their historic range in Eurasia and 65 per cent of their historic range in Africa. The adult population of the Arabian leopard is today estimated at fewer than 200.

Conservation projects can lose their way if they do not involve local stakeholders. It is therefore a positive sign that the RCU is training a team of rangers to safeguard its nature reserves specifically, and AlUla’s wildlife in general.

One particularly endearing achievement gives me further reason for hope: namely, the birth of an Arabian leopard cub on April 23, 2021, at the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Wildlife Research Centre in Taif.

Born to Hamms and Ahmed, the female cub is a symbol of renewal. An early video shows her nestling with Hamms, climbing, stumbling, pouncing and displaying hints of the agility and leaping power that will make her nothing short of spectacular as an adult.

A meaningful legacy requires decisive action and, sometimes, even radical change. I am convinced that ongoing efforts to restore the Arabian leopard to north-west Saudi Arabia constitutes just such a transformation – one that will produce a real change in the world so that every day can be Arabian Leopard Day, in the wilds of AlUla and beyond.

A historian by training, Thomas S Kaplan is chairman and chief investment officer of The Electrum Group, New York, and co-founder and former executive chairman of Panthera