Cotswold Wildlife Park welcome Pallas cat arrival. Keepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park are welcoming the arrival of a male Pallas cat. The new addition, named Tull, arrived from Highland Wildlife Park on 11th December and joins resident female, Tara. Head of Section, Chris Kibbey, said: After a brief introduction, the new couple have been mixed and they appear to be getting on as well as expected. As ambush predators, they spend most of their time sitting still, so the most we can expect is to watch them watching us from their viewing platforms in the exhibit. Tara, aged seven years has accepted her younger partner Tull, who turns one year old this year and we hope they will contribute to the breeding programme of this threatened cat species. Pallass cats are native to the steppe regions of Central Asia, where they inhabit elevations of up to 5,050 m (16,570 ft) in the Tibetan Plateau. Their thick coats mean they are well adapted to cold weather and seem very well at home here in the Cotswolds. Listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, the Pallas cat was named after German naturalist Peter Pallas, who discovered them in the 18th Century. Found from the Caspian Sea in the west through Kazakhstan, Pakistan and northern India to parts of China and Mongolia, Pallas cats are under threat in the wild from large scale poisoning of pika and vole, an important prey item. Young Pallas cats, particularly kittens, are also susceptible to toxoplasmosis, as disease caught from the rodents it feeds on. They are also at risk from habitat fragmentation and development, causing localised extinction. Historically, hunting for their pelt was the main threat facing Pallas cats in the wild, however thanks to increasing restrictions the international trade for Pallas cat fur has declined in recent years. Photo credit: Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 09:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015