Improving Breeding Success

Photograph by Dr. Jane Edmonds Budd

Some conservationists believe that captive breeding is key to preserving Arabian leopards.  We believe that in-situ conservation is essential but recognize that for the Arabian leopard this is the "eleventh hour."  There are four Arabian leopards in Sana'a Zoo and approximately 20 at the Taiz Zoo.  The staff at Taiz Zoo has developed a protocol which allows them to produce a steady stream of cubs although experts debate whether the methods used in Taiz (the cubs are taken from their mothers at birth and suckled on dogs) result in animals that can be utilized for conservation purposes.  Sana'a Zoo has not yet successfully reared a captive bred cub in more than 10 years of displaying leopards.  We therefore aim at increasing the capacity of the keepers in Sana'a and Taiz Zoos so that more, healthy cubs are produced.  We also intend to strengthen the links between Yemen and regional breeding programs to increase the genetic diversity of the captive population without drawing from the wild.

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