Abstract

The Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus nimr is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN and published information about this subspecies is scarce. We assessed the status of the species on the border of one of the most important remnants of its current range, the Dhofar mountain range. In this border area, the relative abundance of leopards (0.067 scats per kilometre) was found to be seven times lower than that reported from prime habitat areas in Dhofar. This result suggests that the leopard occurs in this border area in low numbers or uses it only intermittently. This is compatible with expected sub-optimal conditions found along the borders of the species’ ranges. Furthermore, herders have reported that leopards used to be encountered more frequently in earlier times, which is also supportive evidence of higher vulnerability of this big cat along the edge of its distribution area. However, the habitat of the study area was found to be in relatively good condition, harbouring the leopard’s main prey species and a number of regionally threatened large mammalian fauna, including the Nubian Ibex Capra nubiana, Arabian Gazelle Gazella gazella, Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis, Striped Hyaena Hyaena hyaena sultana, Caracal Caracal caracal schmitzi and Arabian Wolf Canis lupus arabs. Causes of the leopard decline in the area remain unclear, but given the availability of prey it is possible that human interference may have led to the retraction of the leopard’s range.