Riyadh: On World Lion Day, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve has confirmed it is actively working to restore the endangered Asiatic lion subspecies (Panthera leo leo). The lion is one of 23 historically occurring species the reserve's board has approved for reintroduction. Across its 24,500 square kilometers, the reserve is rebuilding a complete, sustaining trophic pyramid to support the eventual return of this apex predator.
According to Saudi Press Agency, CEO of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Andrew Zaloumis stated, "The lion was part of the ancient landscape of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve. The return of an apex predator is a generational journey, not a scheduled event. We are actively building the structural conditions that will make their ultimate homecoming possible."
Documented at over 12 sites, the lion is a frequent motif in the reserve's abundant rock art. During the "Green Arabia" period, around 12,000 years ago, a continuous, fertile corridor of favorable habitat stretching straight from Africa supported large herds of herbivores and their predators, including lions. As the interior dried out, deep, shaded canyons like the reserve's iconic Wadi Al-Disah became critical climate refuges where wildlife and ancient civilizations lived side-by-side.
Overhunting and the spread of modern firearms wiped out the last lion prides in Arabia by the late 19th century. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, only 1,100 to 1,300 individuals survive in the wild globally today. The largest remaining stronghold is in western India's Greater Gir Landscape, which holds an estimated 891 individuals according to recent census data, while the remainder cling to survival across highly fragmented, critically vulnerable zones in West and Central Africa.
The reserve's board-approved ReWildArabia initiative is actively reversing this subsequent wildlife decline through a comprehensive strategy involving the local reintroduction of 23 historically occurring species, with 14 successfully returned to date, six of which have successfully bred. The program supports the Kingdom's wider conservation and biodiversity goals under the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030.
Each of the reintroduced species, including the Arabian hare, Red-necked ostrich, and Persian onager, performs essential ecosystem functions such as seed dispersal, grazing patterns, and soil aeration necessary to ensure a predatory lineage can once again thrive naturally in the landscape.
Driven by extensive and ongoing community consultation and discussions to ensure shared stewardship, the reserve emphasizes that this work cannot be rushed. Each species returned, each ecosystem function restored is a deliberate step toward a landscape capable of sustaining an apex predator once again. A fully functioning ecosystem curbs desertification and mitigates the local impacts of global warming, benefits that extend well beyond the reserve's boundaries. The lion's presence in the reserve's rock art is a record of what this land has supported before. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve is building the conditions for it to do so again.