The first live Arabian tahr, Hemitragus jayakari, was recorded for science by British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger from the mountain of Jebel Hafit, near Al Ain, in 1949, although the species was originally described from a dead specimen seen in Muscat in the nineteenth century. A large ungulate, it may still survive on Jebel Hafit, but was believed to have become extinct elsewhere in the UAE until two were seen in Fujairah in 1995. A small number may still live in the Hajar Mountains, although under severe threat from occasional illegal hunting. Plans to establish a wildlife reserve in the mountains are being developed to save this and other endangered species, like the Arabian leopard and the caracal. A successful captive breeding programme has now been established on Abu Dhabi's western island of Sir Bani Yas. The Arabian tahr is also found in the mountains of Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is collaborating on the establishment of a regional conservation programme.