Returning the King- Saudi Arabia’s Asiatic Lion Project

Asiatic lion

Once true to its name, the Asiatic lion roamed a vast realm that stretched from the forests of India to the plains of Greece. Its presence is etched into human history—carved into Mesopotamian and Iranian reliefs, cast in sculptures and statues, and woven into the stories of ancient texts. From the biblical tales of Daniel, David, and Samson to the Greek legend of Hercules, the lion stood as a symbol of power and awe. Yet the most compelling testimony to its former dominion lies buried in the earth itself, where lion bones have been uncovered at archaeological sites across these regions. Over centuries, relentless hunting and the steady loss of habitat drove the Asiatic lion from Greece and West Asia, with the last confirmed sighting in Iran recorded in 1942. In India, it vanished from the north and the heart of the subcontinent, surviving today only in a final stronghold—the Gir Forest of Gujarat.

Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve

Now, a bold vision is taking shape in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Within the vast expanse of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, plans are emerging to return the Asiatic lion to a land it once knew. The proposal forms part of an ambitious conservation program aimed at restoring 23 endangered or locally extinct species across the kingdom. Progress is already visible. Last year, the Persian onager—native to Iran—was released into the reserve, stepping into the ecological role once filled by its closest genetic relative, the now-extinct Syrian onager. Earlier, in 2022, Arabian oryx were reintroduced, their numbers steadily rising to 86 today. Preparations are also underway for the return of the Arabian leopard, with breeding programs established in the city of Ta’if. Yet the lion’s homecoming remains undecided. According to the reserve’s chief executive, Andrew Zaloumis, no timeline has been set, and discussions are still at the consultation stage—though they have met no resistance from the board of directors, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Alongside these plans, the reserve works closely with local communities, holding regular consultations and prioritising local recruitment, seeking to ensure that conservation and coexistence go hand in hand.

View of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve.

Evidence of the Asiatic lion’s former presence in Arabia is written into the stone itself. Ancient rock carvings, some more than 10,000 years old, bear silent witness to a predator that vanished from the region by the 19th century. Today, with plans for its return, Saudi Arabia could become only the second nation—after India—to once again host wild lions. The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve offers a landscape vast enough to sustain such an ambition. Spanning 24,500 square kilometres—more than twice the size of Lebanon—it surpasses even Kruger, the Serengeti, and Yellowstone in scale. Within its boundaries lie fifteen distinct ecosystems, rising to peaks over two kilometres in the Hejaz Mountains, stretching across the volcanic lava fields of the Harrat Plateau, and plunging to depths of a thousand metres beneath the Red Sea, where deep-water corals flourish. Across this extraordinary range, more than 300 species of birds, mammals, and plants have already been recorded.

A herd of Persian onagers in the reserve.

While plans to return the lion remain under discussion, conservationists agree that the immediate priority lies elsewhere. The Arabian leopard, a subspecies now teetering on the edge of extinction, numbers no more than 100 to 120 individuals worldwide, and its population is believed to be in decline. In response, captive breeding programs have been established across the region—in Israel, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia—offering a fragile lifeline to this elusive predator. Though smaller than the lion, the Arabian leopard fulfils a similar ecological role, helping to maintain balance within the Middle East’s terrestrial ecosystems. Only once these populations are securely restored would conditions be right for the return of the lion, whether in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in West Asia where it once reigned. As with the leopard, any future reintroduction of the Asiatic lion would depend on carefully managed captive breeding, made possible through close collaboration between conservation organisations, governments, and local stakeholders.