Digital solutions to support Hajj sacrifices this year

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Adahi has finalized preparations at seven specialized field complexes spanning more than 1 million sq. meters. (SPA)
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Adahi has finalized preparations at seven specialized field complexes spanning more than 1 million sq. meters. (SPA)
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Updated 03 June 2025
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Digital solutions to support Hajj sacrifices this year

  • So far, 770,000 livestock have been received, surpassing the initial target of 750,000, with continuous deliveries from supplier farms underway

RIYADH: The National Platform for Charitable Work, Ehsan, continues to provide sacrificial animal services for the Hajj season in partnership with the Kingdom’s Project for the Utilization of Hady and Adahi.

The initiative offers pilgrims a seamless and reliable way to fulfill the ritual through trusted digital solutions, according to the Saudi Press Agency.




The operation is coordinated with more than 500 charitable and civil society organizations to ensure that sacrificial meat reaches those most in need, both locally and internationally. (SPA)

Adahi has finalized preparations at seven specialized field complexes spanning more than 1 million sq. meters. These are supported by more than 25,000 trained personnel, including 600 Islamic scholars, more than 500 veterinarians, 16,500 butchers and assistants, and 400 technicians.

Advanced technologies have been integrated into the operation, such as automated weighing, real-time tracking, and modern refrigeration and sterilization systems, to ensure the safety, quality, and efficiency of meat processing and distribution.

Sacrifices will be carried out at a rate of one every seven seconds using a fully digitized system, enabling donors — both inside and outside the Kingdom — to perform the ritual through the Ehsan platform with ease and peace of mind.

The project offers a secure, three-language website for the convenient purchase of sacrificial bonds, catering to people of diverse nationalities. So far, 770,000 livestock have been received, surpassing the initial target of 750,000, with continuous deliveries from supplier farms underway.

The upcoming humanitarian distribution will cover all 13 administrative regions of the Kingdom and extend to more than 27 countries worldwide. The operation is coordinated with more than 500 charitable and civil society organizations to ensure that sacrificial meat reaches those most in need, both locally and internationally.

 


Rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea

Updated 05 February 2026
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Rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea

  • Turtles travel thousands of kilometers to Red Sea
  • Nesting 6,500km away in India’s Andaman Islands

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife has documented a rare sighting of a leatherback sea turtle in the Red Sea, marking a significant biological record for one of the planet’s most critically endangered marine species.

The sighting occurred approximately 30 km off the coast of Al-Qunfudhah within the Blue Holes Protected Area, a newly established marine reserve, according to a recent report from the Saudi Press Agency.

The NCW said the presence of a leatherback in these waters was an exceptional event.

Recognized as the largest turtle species on Earth, the leatherback can weigh up to 900 kilograms. It has a unique leathery, black carapace — distinguished by five longitudinal ridges rather than a hard bony shell — and able to dive to depths exceeding 1,000 meters.

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Noting the species’ migratory nature, the center explained that leatherbacks travel thousands of kilometers foraging for jellyfish. The specimen likely navigated through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait in search of food.

This is considered a remarkable journey, the NCW said, noting that the nearest known populations reside in the Indian Ocean, spanning waters from South Africa to Sri Lanka (roughly 7,000 to 8,000 km away).

The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, approximately 6,500 kilometers away. No nesting activity has been recorded in the Red Sea.

According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the leatherback is Critically Endangered in the Indian Ocean.

While data for the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf is scarce, recent isolated sightings include a juvenile recorded in Jordan in December 2025 and another off Djibouti in 2019.

The NCW emphasized that these rare appearances highlight the ecological importance of the Kingdom's marine conservation efforts in the Red Sea.

The center pointed to the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, along with the new Blue Holes and Ras Hatiba reserves, as critical sanctuaries that could support the expansion in range of such endangered species.