Every day, many Yemenis visit the Sanaa Zoo to see the Arabian leopards, the top predators on the Arabian Peninsula and one of the rarest leopards in the world.

The Arabian leopard has been listed as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 1996. Biologists estimated fewer than 200 individuals in the wilderness, and the population is continuously decreasing.

Fouad al-Hersh, the manager of the Sanaa Zoo, said on Thursday that two male Arabian leopards in the zoo have been living without female companions for a long time. The lineage of the big cats will stop if the zoo could not find females for them soon.

"We hope the authority can find a solution and manage to import some females," said al-Hersh.

Yemen has been mired in the civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi rebels seized control of several northern cities and forced the internationally recognized government out of the capital Sanaa.

The coalition led by Saudi Arabia has imposed a strict blockade on the Houthi-controlled areas, which largely restricted import and export.

The crippled economy has also caused many difficulties for the zoo, where more than 1,600 animals inhabit.

(All images via Getty Images.)  

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