An Atlas leopard has reappeared in the Algerian desert after decades of absence. It was Redouane Tahri, an activist for the protection of wildlife and passionate about the biodiversity of the Sahara who affirmed this on Sunday 27 November.
He says he saw and filmed this animal in the desert region of Béchar. Alerted, the National Office of the Ahaggar Cultural Park went to the place where Redouane Tahri saw the Atlas leopard put sensors in order to check the presence of this animal.
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The presence of this feline, which is a rare and endangered species, has not been reported in the Algerian Sahara for several decades.
In a video sequence that he published on Sunday, November 27, on Facebook, Redouane Tahri, producer of documentaries on wildlife, claims to have “filmed in the Saoura region an Atlas leopard (also called Barbary leopard or Panthera pardus Panthera).
The video footage briefly shows a silhouette of a distant animal that has retreated at the sight of a human presence. “The full video is much longer than the footage I posted on Facebook. This video was filmed two years ago in the desert region of Béchar”, explains Redouane Tahri to TSA.
Atlas leopard footprints
This activist has other evidence of the presence of the Atlas leopard in this part of the Algerian desert. “We photographed a lot of large footprints on the ground that are specific to the cheetah. We filmed prey hanging on a tree. This is irrefutable proof that it is indeed the Saharan cheetah because the latter is the only animal that transports its prey to devour it quietly on a tree. The project to authenticate the presence of the leopard in this vast region of Saoura is underway. There will be DNA analyzes will be done and the results as well as all the scientific evidence will soon be published in an article that I will co-write in collaboration with a team of researchers and wildlife specialists. Hey.
The reappearance of this feline comes when “everyone thought that the Atlas leopard had disappeared for half a century”, remarks Redouane Tahri. “Several studies have attempted to confirm its presence at the border (Algerian-Moroccan, editor’s note). My unpublished video demonstrates the presence of this feline in the desert of Béchar”, slice Redouane Tahri.
Some scientists argue that the Atlas leopard is not a separate leopard subspecies, but an African leopard. For lack of specimens, researchers find themselves unable to carry out DNA analyzes to verify whether the African leopard and the Atlas leopard are one and the same feline, or two distinct animals.
Redouane Tahri does not share this hypothesis. “There is a difference first in the morphology. The African leopard is relatively small in size compared to the Atlas leopard. The musculature of the latter is more voluminous”, he explains.
According to the Wikipedia encyclopedia, “there remains a small population of the Atlas leopard in the Atlas Mountains and recent sightings was also reported in 2007 near the Algerian-Moroccan border.”
For Redouane Tahri, “these assertions are only hypotheses that have not been scientifically verified for lack of evidence.”
The Sahara sees its fauna decline
The Sahara is seeing its fauna decline dramatically. This is basically the message that Redouane Tahri wishes to convey. “I would like to sound the alarm on the threats of extinction hanging over the genet, the Saharan Barbary sheep, three species of gazelles, and of course the Atlas leopard”, warns this activist for the protection of animals.
“These animals are theoretically protected by law, but in reality, these species are threatened with extinction, particularly in the regions of Beni Abbès and Tabelbala. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to control this vast desert region,” he admits. Since 2017, the Algerian authorities have been leading a strategy and efforts to preserve biodiversity.
After the Saharan cheetah, the Atlas leopard
In April 2020, a Saharan cheetah was filmed by teams from the Algerian Cultural Parks Project (PPCA) in the Ahaggar Cultural Park, in the wilaya of Tamanrasset. It was the first appearance of this feline in this region, after more than ten years of absence, which had indicated the PPCA. The animal, an endangered species, was filmed twice, on March 23 and April 3, 2020.
