Threats
Three confirmed separate subpopulations remain on the Arabian Peninsula with fewer than estimated 200 leopards. The Arabian leopard is threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation; prey depletion caused by unregulated hunting, trapping for the illegal wildlife trade and retaliatory killing in defense of livestock.
The actual distribution of the leopard in Arabia is not known exactly, mainly due to habitat destruction, killing and lack of ecological studies. Some reports indicate that the leopard population has decreased drastically in Arabia due to killing by shepherds and villagers after leopard raids on their livestock making them an enemy of farmers. In addition, hunting of leopard prey such as hyrax and ibex by local people; habitat fragmentation, especially in the Sarawat Mountains, have made the survival of the leopard uncertain. The reduced leopard population in Arabia requires immediate action to avoid further losses and extinction.
Already in the 1950s, the numbers of leopards were decreasing drastically due to killing by hunters, and habitat degradation and fragmentation. Together with the killing and poisoning of the leopard, decreased availability of prey might bring about its extinction. Other reasons for killing leopards are for personal satisfaction and pride, traditional medicine and hides. Some leopards are killed accidentally when eating poisoned carcasses intended for wolves and hyenas.
Among products being sold in the tent city of Mina, Saudi Arabia after the Haj of 2010, also skins of Arabian leopards poached in Yemen were offered.
Read more about this topic: Arabian Leopard
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