Arabian Leopard Baby Cub - in pictures

  • In a step towards conserving the endangered Arabian leopard, a cub has been born at a captive breeding centre in Saudi Arabia. All photos: Aline Coquelle
    In a step towards conserving the endangered Arabian leopard, a cub has been born at a captive breeding centre in Saudi Arabia. All photos: Aline Coquelle
  • The female cub is now five months old.
    The female cub is now five months old.
  • The Arabian leopard cub was born at the Prince Saud Al Faisal Wildlife Research Centre near Taif in south-west Saudi Arabia on April 23. The subspecies is native to the Arabian Peninsula..
    The Arabian leopard cub was born at the Prince Saud Al Faisal Wildlife Research Centre near Taif in south-west Saudi Arabia on April 23. The subspecies is native to the Arabian Peninsula..
  • The cub was checked by vets and its gender identified in mid-July.
    The cub was checked by vets and its gender identified in mid-July.
  • There are ambitious plans to reintroduce the big cats in north-west Saudi Arabia, offering hope that they could become more widespread in the wild once again.
    There are ambitious plans to reintroduce the big cats in north-west Saudi Arabia, offering hope that they could become more widespread in the wild once again.
  • Habitat loss, decline of prey species and persecution have caused numbers of Arabian leopards to fall for centuries. There are now thought to be fewer than 200 in the wild.
    Habitat loss, decline of prey species and persecution have caused numbers of Arabian leopards to fall for centuries. There are now thought to be fewer than 200 in the wild.
  • Typically slightly paler than its African cousin, the Arabian leopard is known as An Nimr Al Arabi in Arabic.
    Typically slightly paler than its African cousin, the Arabian leopard is known as An Nimr Al Arabi in Arabic.
  • Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the subspecies is found in the wild in Oman, Yemen and, possibly, Saudi Arabia.
    Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the subspecies is found in the wild in Oman, Yemen and, possibly, Saudi Arabia.