Wildlife cameras stationed throughout Oman's mountainous Dhofar region recorded two Arabian leopards hunting and eating their prey, the first footage of its kind ever captured, The Kansas City Star reported.
Conservationists with the Arabian Leopard Project placed cameras throughout the mountain range to track these rare cats. When staff examined the recordings, they discovered videos showing the leopards with a rock hyrax, a rabbit-sized animal found in the region. The cameras captured intimate details of the hunt that researchers had never witnessed in this species.
The footage shows one leopard eating the hyrax from atop a boulder, with a second leopard walking beneath. Other footage captures a leopard transporting the animal. These glimpses into leopard behavior provide data that would be impossible to collect through traditional observation methods.
This proof benefits both wildlife and people. Camera technology allows scientists to observe how at-risk animals hunt and live in their natural environment. Tracking leopard numbers and their predation helps conservationists safeguard these cats and their habitats.
When predator numbers remain stable, entire ecosystems benefit. That balance protects the food webs that humans also depend on for agriculture and natural resources.
Arabian leopards confront serious survival challenges. "Fewer than 120 animals are estimated to survive in small, isolated groups in Oman and Yemen," according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. The species could vanish from its natural habitat.
Oman has invested decades in protecting both the leopards and the animals they hunt. These efforts help maintain biodiversity, which supports everything from pollination to pest control in ways that benefit nearby residents.
For people living near leopard territory, successful conservation means healthier ecosystems that provide cleaner water, more stable soil, and better conditions for farming and grazing. Protected habitats also create opportunities for ecotourism, bringing economic advantages to surrounding areas while keeping wildlife safe.
The footage encouraged conservationists working to prevent extinction.