Arabian leopard – The world’s second rarest big cat needs your help

'Unless drastic action is taken across their range, I'm afraid that the Arabian leopard is not going to make it.' - Dr. Urs Breitenmoser, Co-chair of the IUCN Cat Specialist GroupSeptember 2011. The Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr), the second most highly endangered large cat on Earth, is up to 30 times rarer than the Bengal tiger. There are probably fewer than 100 wild Arabian leopards left in widely scattered populations in Oman and Yemen. These beautiful cats are also the smallest and most genetically distinct of all leopard subspecies. Adult females can weigh less than 20 kg and even a "big" male is smaller than the average German shepherd.

Until January 11, 2011 when the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen (FPALY) proved the existence of a leopard population in eastern Yemen with trail cameras, sceptics doubted that the leopard persisted in Yemen at all. So scarce and secretive are these creatures that so far only four photographs of two individuals have been taken. Following this success in eastern Yemen, FPALY plan on using camera traps to establish the existence of leopard populations in other parts of Yemen. This project will focus on Wada'a, Amran, a tribal area to the north of Yemen's capital Sana'a, where FPALY have good reason to believe that the Arabian leopard still roams. FPALY have trained Ibrahim Al Wada'i, a former leopard trapper from Wada'a, in the use of trail cameras, now all they have to do is provide Ibrahim and an assistant with equipment, salaries, and logistical support.
$15,000 will enable FPALY to purchase 10 high output trail cameras with security cases, batteries and charger, a GPS, netbook, external backup drive, and solar charging panels, and provide Ibrahim and his assistant with all the support that they will need to keep this project going for a full year. In addition to Arabian leopards, FPALY expect Ibrahim's team to capture candid photographs of the rare Arabian Wolf, Arabian Caracal, Striped Hyena, Honey Badger and other endangered Arabian wildlife. All of these images and associated data will be used to lobby the Yemen Government to establish the Wada'a Wildlife Sanctuary as a haven for imperilled wildlife.

Wada'a is not the only area in Yemen where FPALY have good reason to believe that small populations of Arabian leopards hang on. As funding allows, they will equip and hire additional teams to document leopards and other wildlife at Wadi Sharis, Hajjah...Jebel Bura', Hodeidah...Wadi Bana, Lahej and Abyan...Jebel Kharaz, Taiz...Wadi Hajr, Shabwa...Wadi Masilah, Hadhramawt..., etc. In the absence of this and similar projects and the resulting conservation action that they will inspire, Dr. Breitenmoser's sad prediction is likely to come true. With your help FPALY can ensure that it doesn't.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/leopards-yemen.html