Animal talisman: Moscow Zoo to have Pallas' cat again

In April, the Moscow Zoo will have the Transbaikal Pallas’ cat, one of the rarest and most secretive representatives of the family Felidae. It is on the IUCN Red List as Endangered. The Pallas’ cat has been a symbol and talisman of the Moscow Zoo for more than 30 years.

The biggest population of these cats lives in the Reproduction Centre for rare species of the Moscow Zoo near Volokolamsk, where zoologists have provided conditions close to natural. Pallas’ cats feel safe here and regularly bring offspring. The centre is home to six representatives of this species. One of them will move to the main display of the Zoo in April.

Before the arrival of a Pallas’ cat (called after the German scientist Peter Pallas who was the first to describe it), the enclosure where Pallas’ cats were usually kept (in the old part of the Zoo) is being reconstructed, with the ground replaced and shelters arranged, including wooden houses and shelves made for the animal to rest. Besides, there will also be some bushes to serve as a shelter for the wild cat, too. Wooden stairs and logs will be perfect for the cat to run on.

'We are happy that our visitors will be able to watch the Pallas’ cat again and learn the habits of this amazing animal. I regret to say that the Pallas’ cat that had been living in our Zoo for many years died of a progressive incurable disease in early January. It was a symbol of our Zoo and everyone's favourite. Zoologists and veterinarians succeeded to make this wonderful cat live longer,' said Svetlana Akulova, Director General of the Moscow Zoo.

The Moscow Zoo had their first Pallas’ cats in 1949. Since 1975, the Moscow Zoo has been one of the first in the world to succeed in getting regular young of these rare animals. Since then, almost 150 kittens have been born. Now many 'Moscow' Pallas’ cats live in zoos of the United States, Europe and Asia. The Moscow Zoo gets the most Pallas’ cat's young in the world.

In the wild, Transbaikal Pallas’ cats live in Eastern Siberia, Mongolia, the foothills of the Himalayas and Kyrgyzstan. However, this wild cat is virtually impossible to spot, since it is a very cautious animal. Pallas’ cats are masters of disguise: crouching to the ground or stones, the grey-and-brown cat merges with the terrain's colour and becomes almost invisible. Wild cats use this skill to shake off a pursuer, escape from a predator, or while hunting. They make their lairs in rock crevices, small caves, or under the stones. Even those specialists studying these cats and monitoring their population are rarely able to spot them. Camera traps and videos shot by special drones are of great help.

According to zoologists, there are about 15,000 Pallas’ cat individuals in the wild today. Their number keeps declining steadily due to poaching and destruction of their natural habitat. Pallas’ cats often get into hunting traps set for other animals.

'There is a special programme launched as part of the Euro-Asian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums aiming to form a stable reserve population of the species and to further replenish its numbers in the wild. Additionally, experts keep Pallas’ Cat Studbooks within the European and World Associations of Zoos and Aquariums. Our Zoo has been actively participating in these nature-oriented initiatives,' said Svetlana Akulova.

The Pallas’ cat is the size of a domestic cat, with its head-to-body length reaching 50 to 65 cm. It weighs 2.5–5 kg. This wild cat is distinguished by thick coat, short ears and a peculiar pattern on the muzzle — two narrow black stripes running from eyes down to the neck. The animal feeds on rodents, partridges and chukars.

Replenishment of the Moscow Zoo's collection

The Moscow Zoo regularly replenishes its collection, which boasts over 1,000 species now.  Moreover, the Zoo takes part in the international rare species conservation programmes on an ongoing basis. An aardvark and three couples of gentoo penguins arrived in 2017.  In 2018, it received two Amur tigers, an Amur leopard, a secretary bird, crested curassows and a common trumpeter. 

The arrival of two pandas from China was last year’s key event for the Zoo. Ru Yi and Ding Ding arrived to the Moscow Zoo within the international giant panda preservation, protection and research programme. They will live in the Zoo for 15 years.  Giant Panda is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable.  They live in some provinces of China, in particular in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and in Tibet.

The Zoo's collection boasts another treasure, a rare bird from tropical Islands — Bali starling. According to ornithologists, there are no more than several dozen Bali starlings in the wild.  In 2019, the arrival of golden lion-headed tamarins, binturong, maned wolf and bush dog were long-awaited events for the Moscow Zoo.

This year, the Moscow Zoo acquired rare blue-tailed monitors. Two males and two females have been brought from the Indonesian island of Biak. Visitors will be able to see the lizards in May, when they are fully adapted to the new environment. In the wild, blue-tailed monitors live only on the northernmost tip of Cape York, on the Cape York Peninsula in Australia, and on the islands of New Guinea.