The National Wild Life Research Center (NCWR) has one 10-month-old male cub as the first surviving product of its breeding program on its reserve near Taif. The cub is fit and every millimeter the predator.
Dr. Ahmed Boug, the center’s director, said on Monday that the cub is the sole survivor of four cubs, one from his litter and two from a previous litter.
“This cub’s brother died at the vaccination stage and the other two from an earlier litter were killed by their mother,” he explained.
He added that the stress imposed on breeding wild animals is very great, even in the custom-built breeding pen and under the watchful eyes of a dedicated staff, and that this sometimes causes aberrant behavior.
“In our new breeding facility, we have installed video surveillance on a 24-hour basis to ensure the safety of any new progeny,” Boug said. The pens have been designed to mitigate the aggressive behavior that mating leopards sometimes show, to the extent that there are no right-angled corners.
“That eliminates the possibility of one backing the other into a position from which it cannot escape when attacked,” said Boug. Visiting the NCWR reserve on Monday, Dr. Michael Tobias, an internationally renowned ecologist and a specialist in big cats, said he was completely “blown away” by the levels of expertise and dedication the Taif team are expending on the several breeding programs they are running.
“It’s my first visit to the Kingdom and I can honestly say I was not expecting anything as sophisticated as this. I am overwhelmed.” Tobias’ Los Angeles-based Dancing Star Foundation has already documented the saving of the southern Californian Mountain Lion. Boug said that even the dead leopard that they found gave them inspiration.
“We were able to establish its genetic heritage and learn a lot about the species,” he said.
“We also set in motion a public awareness program with schools, the local authorities and the local population that these rare and endangered species needed to be looked after.” Visitors to the center are normally welcome to see what the NCWR does for the Kingdom’s rare species. However, during the breeding season, access is severely restricted and as a result of the recent swine flu scare, groups are for the time not allowed. Swine flue, is a zoonotic disease — one that crosses species lines and carries with it the fear that humans may infect these rare animals.
“However, there are very exciting plans for a visitor center and viewing galleries so that the public can come and enjoy the animals and learn something about the Kingdom’s unique ecological heritage.”
