712 H. Al Hikmani and K. Al Hikmani


FIG. 2 Detailed locations of camera traps deployed in the (a) central, (b) western and (c) eastern Nejd region (Fig. 1) during 2014–2021. Numbers (Table 1) indicate records of the Arabian leopard, in chronological order (1, 1 January 2014; 2, 21 January 2014; 3, 9 May 2014; 4, 20 February 2015; 5, 20 March 2015; 6, 25 March 2015; 7, 11 July 2015; 8, 25 January 2017; 9, 12 April 2017; 10, 20 October 2017; 11, 19 August 2019; 12, 13 January 2021; 13, 22 February 2021; 14, 22 March 2021; 15, 13 May 2021; 16, 20 May 2021; 17, 15 August 2021; 18, 22 November 2021). S1 indicates the leopard scat from 2011 (Mazzolli et al., 2017), and S2–S4 are the leopard scats from the 2014–2017 genetic study (Al Hikmani et al., 2024b).


2021.We recorded one male leopard (M5) from the central Nejd, on 22 November 2021, but no leopards from the eastern Nejd, despite its proximity to a known leopard population in southern Jabal Samhan, and the absence of geographical barriers to leopard movement (Spalton et al., 2006; Al Hikmani et al., 2024b). Two independent leopard records from the central (20 May 2021) and western Nejd (15 August 2021) were obtained from opportunistic camera traps deployed by wildlife rangers. In total, we recorded 18 independent camera-trap detections of at least eight individual leopards and a cub during 2014–2021, providing unequivocal evidence that the Arabian leopard is not only resident but also breeding in the central and western Nejd.


These records confirm the return of leopards to the central Nejd, indicate its presence in the western Nejd for


the first time, and extend the species’ known range in Dhofar northward by c. 40 km, with the northernmost confirmed record in Dhofar to date. Further northwards, the habitat becomes open and with sparse cover, limiting opportunities for further range expansion. Given the absence of evidence of leopards in the central


Nejd during 2004–2007 despite camera-trap surveys, it is likely that leopards were absent during this period. The leopard records from camera traps placed in the same loca- tion in 2014, combined with evidence from 2011 surveys (Mazzolli & Hammer, 2008; Mazzolli, 2009; McGregor et al., 2011), provide further evidence of the apparent return of leopards to the central Nejd. We recommend long-term monitoring of leopard popu-


lations in the central and western Nejd, and repeating sur- veys in the eastern Nejd, north of Jabal Samhan. The eastern Nejd is the larger of the three areas, and more camera traps were deployed there than in the central or western Nejd, but the number of effective trapping days (67 days) was lower than in western Nejd (111 days), where we recorded two leopards. Our survey in the eastern Nejd may also have been compromised by the activity of frankincense Boswellia sacra resin harvesters, recorded at 20 of our 34 camera deployment sites, which could have resulted in leo- pards avoiding this area at the time. The extent of favourable leopard habitat and the abundance of prey species in the eastern Nejd makes further surveys a priority in this area. Based on our leopard detections in the western Nejd, we


PLATE 1 Female F1 (record number 8; Fig. 2), with an adult cub, recorded inWadi Ghadun in the Central Nejd on 25 January 2017.


recommend a minimum camera-trap deployment period of 18 weeks, to achieve a 95% probability of recording the pres- ence of Arabian leopards in this region (Fig. 3). This recom- mendation has implications for surveying and monitoring Arabian leopards and other threatened arid-adaptedmammal species across the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, and given


Oryx, 2024, 58(6), 710–714 © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605324001662


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