The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is supporting key outreach work in Mongolia to help better understand one of the least studied cats in the world, Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul).
The Zoo has been working with local communities to increase understanding of the little-known species as part of Pallas’s Cat International Conservation Alliance (PICA).
PICA was founded in 2016 and aims to understand more about this endangered species in order to protect it, since it is at risk from hunting, habitat loss and poisoning due to pest control.
The cat species is native to rocky and grassland habitats which span through larges swathes of Central Asia. They have thick fur and are adapted for surviving harsh climates, often up to 5,000m (16,400ft) above sea level.
RZSS Cat Conservation Officer David Barclay said: ”There are large gaps in our knowledge of Pallas’s cats across the species range and this limits our ability to create effective conservation strategies. The community outreach, involving threat surveys, community engagement and delivery of educational materials provides us with new information and allows us to give something back to help raise awareness of the species.”
More information on the species here.
