The Breeding Centre's cheetahs are also participants in the European breedingprogramme, which aims to ensure that the genetic diversity of this endangered species ismaintained and expanded by breeding as many founder animals as possible to introducenew bloodlines into the captive population. In this way, the group held at the centre playsa very important role in the future health of the international captive population, asthey arepotentially all new founders.Also very important for the Sharjah Breeding Centre is the leoPard-breeding programme.The Arabian leopard, Panthera pardus nimr, is critically endangered around the world andparticularly in the Arabian peninsula, where it was once found throughout the coastalmountain ranges. Activities like hunting, trapping and habitat destruction has reducedtheir range to a few isolated and fragmented populations in Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
