We can make a difference in the world by seeing value where others do not.
I started my career investing in silver at a time when the metal was rather out of fashion. When the cycle turned, however, my silver suddenly took on a golden allure.
In 2003, my wife Daphne and I embarked on the establishment of an art collection centred on that period about which we were most passionate: the Dutch Golden Age. With classical art being so undervalued then – a Rembrandt fetched far less than a Warhol, although Warhols greatly outnumber Rembrandts – we were able to assemble and share our collection of the Dutch Master and his school.
It is my opinion that wildcats today are even more undervalued than silver or the artworks of Old Masters were in the past.
Hear me out.
The wildcats of the world are beautiful, noble animals facing an existential threat. They require vast landscapes and access to food, yet their ranges are shrinking and their prey densities are diminishing even as I write this. Simply put, we have failed to properly value their continued existence.
The adult population of the Arabian leopard is today estimated at fewer than 200
In 2006, I co-founded Panthera, a conservation organisation that is on a mission to ensure a future for wildcats and their critical ecosystems. It is immensely gratifying to see that Panthera’s passion for conservation is shared by our partners at the Royal Commission for AlUla.
Alongside other conservation groups, the RCU has campaigned to have today, February 10, marked as the inaugural Arabian Leopard Day, an event I believe will generate significant momentum in the years to come.
Back in June 2019, at a ceremony in AlUla, Panthera and the RCU signed an agreement to join forces in advancing our common affinity for protecting the Arabian leopard. It has since designated 12,500 square kilometres to be conserved across five nature reserves, collaborating with the International Union for Conservation of Nature to ensure they are sustainably managed and meet international best-practice standards. It is also operating a breeding programme in Taif and has established the $25-million Arabian Leopard Fund to help recover the critically endangered species.
That is precisely the kind of space and support that wildcats need.
Together, Panthera and the RCU are committed to reintroducing the Arabian leopard to AlUla and beyond. Time is indeed of the essence. Leopards and their critical habitat are at risk everywhere on the planet. While they enjoy the largest range of all the big cats and occupy a variety of habitats, from the Congo rainforest to the deserts of the Middle East – and have a remarkable capacity for adaptation – leopard populations are in steep decline across Africa and Asia.
A map comparing their present and former habitats sadly mirrors a leopard’s coat, that is, a patchwork of spots they presently inhabit, speckled across the much wider backdrop of their historic range.
Of all the big cats, leopards are one of the most persecuted: shot by trophy hunters and bushmeat poachers; trapped in snares meant for other species; killed in retaliation for the real or perceived threat they pose to livestock; and gutted for their skin and other body parts, which are sought for ceremonial regalia.
As a result, leopards have vanished from 84 per cent of their historic range in Eurasia and 65 per cent of their historic range in Africa. The adult population of the Arabian leopard is today estimated at fewer than 200.
Ongoing efforts to restore the Arabian leopard to north-west Saudi Arabia ... will produce a real change in the world so that every day can be Arabian Leopard Day
Conservation projects can lose their way if they do not involve local stakeholders. It is therefore a positive sign that the RCU is training a team of rangers to safeguard its nature reserves specifically, and AlUla’s wildlife in general.
One particularly endearing achievement gives me further reason for hope: namely, the birth of an Arabian leopard cub on April 23, 2021, at the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Wildlife Research Centre in Taif.
Born to Hamms and Ahmed, the female cub is a symbol of renewal. An early video shows her nestling with Hamms, climbing, stumbling, pouncing and displaying hints of the agility and leaping power that will make her nothing short of spectacular as an adult.
A meaningful legacy requires decisive action and, sometimes, even radical change. I am convinced that ongoing efforts to restore the Arabian leopard to north-west Saudi Arabia constitutes just such a transformation – one that will produce a real change in the world so that every day can be Arabian Leopard Day, in the wilds of AlUla and beyond.
A historian by training, Thomas S Kaplan is chairman and chief investment officer of The Electrum Group, New York, and co-founder and former executive chairman of Panthera
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on Quran memorisation:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Leaderboard
64 - Gavin Green (MAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR)
65 - Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE), Adri Arnaus (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
66 - Phil Mickelson (USA), Tom Lewis (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Ross Fisher (ENG), Aaron Rai (ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL)
67 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (ESP), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Francesco Laporta (ITA), Joost Luiten (NED), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
68 - Alexander Bjork (SWE), Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Adrian Meronk (POL), David Howell (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Sean Crocker (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Renato Paratore (ITA)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
