Sinai Leopard
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| Sinai Leopard | ||||||||||||||||
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| Panthera pardus jarvisi Pocock, 1932 |
The Sinai Leopard (Panthera pardus jarvisi), is, or perhaps was, a subspecies of leopard. It is much smaller than the African Leopard and prefers to hunt birds, mice, and rock hyrax; however it will eat ibexes and other small livestock if they are available, and it is this habit as well as concern for human safety which has led to its persecution and probable demise; however it should not be considered dangerous to humans.
The fur of the Sinai Leopard is white with black spots and blotches, it lives, or lived, in the Sinai peninsula and the mountains of the city Eilat.
The Bedouin (tribesman) have likely hunted it into extinction. It is not known if there are any left living in the wild.
In May 2007, a group of leopards were observed near the remote village of Sde Boker in Negev (Israel). Shortly after that Arthur Du Mosch, an Israeli farmer was attacked by a Sinai Leopard. [1]
