Pallas's cat, panther and bats: an evening walk at the Moscow Zoo

The Moscow Zoo launches Twilight campaign to run from 15 to 30 April. Until the end of the month, the Zoo will be open for three hours more - until 10:00 pm. During these evening sessions, guests will have a rare opportunity to watch the animals before they go to sleep and get acquainted with those most active after sunset - chiropterans, red pandas, snow leopard, puma and Amur leopard.

Visitors who come dressed as a bat or Batman will enjoy free admission. The rest are to purchase an entrance ticket.

"Contrary to popular belief, life in the Zoo does not subside in the evening. This is a special time when many animals become active, those who usually prefer to stay inside during the day. The most famous twilight animals in the world are among them - chiropterans (night bats and fruit bats). You may watch a group of Egyptian fruit bats in the Night World pavilion in the old Zoo. In wild nature, these animals live in Africa and some countries of the Eastern Mediterranean," said Svetlana Akulova, Director General of the Moscow Zoo.

She added that Zoo experts have made an educational quest. Its participants will be tested for ingenuity and will have to answer questions: "How many insects does a bat swallow in 60 minutes?" ''Is it true that all bats are vampires?'' and other. Quest winners will get a prize - five free tickets to the Moscow Zoo.

Another group of Zoo inhabitants who prefer to sleep off in the daytime and go outside in the evening are red pandas. A couple of these rare animals reside in a spacious open-air cage next to the sloth-bear cage in the old part of the Zoo. Evening hours are best for watching numerous birds on the Large Pond. You may also have a closer look at a stealthy and extremely unsociable nocturnal Pallas's cat.

Cat family members are also most active after sunset. Snow leopard, puma and Amur leopard come out of their shelters. You may watch tigress Princess walking around. In the daytime, it usually rests in the shade or hides in the inner part of its cage.

The Moscow Zoo also has the Chiropteran Winter Maintenance Centre to provide shelter for these well-known twilight animals. Its employees help them survive in winter and preserve the rare species of bats in nature. This year, the Moscow Zoo has sheltered more than a hundred chiropterans brought by citizens. In May, when it gets warm, zoologists will release them into the wild.

The image of another night lifestyle lover will crown the arch of the Zoo’s main entrance until the end of spring. On the occasion of the Moscow Zoo’s 155^th anniversary, the historic Pallas's cat bas-relief will return to its former place.