The Royal Commission for AlUla has announced the birth of two female Arabian tigers at the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Center for Wildlife Research.

 

The development is part of the centre's reproduction programme that seeks to increase the number of Arabian tigers and reinstate them in the wildlife, said a Saudi Press Agency report.

 

The Arabian tiger is one of the most endangered species in the world, where the number of the animals does not exceed 200 as the result of losing their natural habitat and their overhunting throughout the past years.

 

The strategy of the Royal Commission for AlUla to protect the Arabian tigers covers a diversified set of initiatives, including the expansion of reproduction programmes through inaugurating the Arabian Tiger Center at Sharan Nature Reserve, in addition to establishing the Arabian Tiger Fund that received an allocation of $25 million from the commission.

 

The commission has also signed several partnerships, including one with International Union for Conservation of Nature, a second with Panthera organization and a third with Catmosphere.

 

The royal commission, through its strategy, seeks to protect the Arabian tiger from extinction with the aim of restoring the ecosystems to realise the targets of the Saudi Vision 2030, in addition to rehabilitating the natural environment in a way that accords with national goals, including the Saudi Green Initiative, to make 80% of AlUla as nature reserves.

 

AlUla is considered a natural habitat of the Arabian tiger throughout history, where rock carvings in various locations reflect that. The commission’s strategy is to care for the environment, nature, heritage and antiquities, which makes AlUla the biggest living museum in the world.