There are claimed to be 200 Arabian leopards remaining in the wild (most sources suggest the number is more like 120). This subspecies has suffered a decline in the last 120 years of between 90 and 98% (estimates on population size from the 19th century).
This population is spread across 3 countries with Oman and Yemen thought to have around 50 leopards each. Saudi Arabia has an estimated 20 leopards -though this may be overly positive, with none having been seen since 2014. While found in Israel until recently, the last confirmed sighting was in 2007, with this leopard found dead in 2009.
Alarmingly, this is not the least healthy subspecies of leopard, with the Amur leopard numbering around 120. However, the Amur leopard has had a huge improvement in its population level since 2006, when it was filmed by the BBC for planet earth. At this time, there were at most 40 of this subspecies, with the popuation being below 30 in the 1970s, though thankfully, in the last 18 years there has been a big recovery. The Arabian leopard has gone the other way.
- Oman – thought to support around 50 leopards
- Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve (lying in the South-West of the country) has an estimated leopard population of 20-50, within its 4500 square km area (1734 square miles), and is thought to be the largest remaining population of the Arabian leopard – however, even supposing that the upper estimate is correct, you are still talking about 1 leopard in ever 90 square km (every 34 square miles or about 7 times less common than in the most dense leopard populations of Africa).
- Musandam (lying in the north-east, on the border with the UAE, it should be noted that in the 1990s the UAE was thought to still have around 12 leopards, but that is no longer the case) is thought to have occasional leopards visiting the area, however the last time one was spotted was in 1997
- Hadjar Mountains (in the centre of the North East part of the country) had a population of these leopards, but it is thought that they went extinct back in 1970 – it should be noted, however that these mountains may well be a prime candidate for reintroduction, if this was ever to happen
- Yemen is also thought to have around 50 leopards left
- Hawf is known to still have some Arabian leopards, with one having been illegally killed recently. There is not a recent accurate estimate having done
- Wada’a Mountains has a confirmed population of leopards
- Kor Al Awaliq mountains had a single sighting of a wild leopard in the recently, after a 20 year absence, however, it is clear that there are no leopards living there permanently.
- Northern part of the western highlands has had recent confirmation of leopards surviving.
- Central-western highlands have also had recent sightings to confirm continued survival.
- South Yemen also has some surviving leopards.
- Saudi Arabia – If leopards still survive in Saudi Arabia, they would be found around southwestern mountains of Asir and the Hijaz, however none have been seen since 2002, so it seems unlikely. While there is no easy corridor between them, this is not far from some areas where leopards are still known to survive in Yemen.
It is unfortunately a fact, that Arabian leopards are not only a subspecies which is critically endangered, with just 200, but there are as many as 10 different reserves across which these leopards are found. It is really only Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve, which has a large enough population, that it might be independently secure in the medium term. There is enough land for a population significantly larger, however, this is often less of a problem – habitat loss has occurred, as well as habitat fragmentation, which is often a bigger threat – with enough conservationists, if the whole Arabian leopard population was considered one population, and members were regularly transferred between reserves, as happened with the cape leopard, it might be possible for the Arabian leopard to recover, but it has not been moving that way in recent years.
