India, Feb. 11 -- The Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) has returned to the plateau of Nejd in Dhofar, the largest of Oman's 11 governorates on the border with Yemen, a study released on World Arabian Leopard Day (February 10) noted.

This is heartening news for the beleaguered species, the largest felid found in the Arabian Peninsula on just two per cent of its former range.

Arabian leopards face multiple threats, including persecution by people, habitat loss and fragmentation, prey scarcity, capture for the illegal pet trade, and genetic depletion as a result of the small population size.

According to the study, the global wild population is estimated to comprise 100-120 individuals, with the largest known subpopulation in the Dh...