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Look at me quick, I'll be gone soon!

By 0 and 0 and 0
25 July 2016

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One of the world's most secreteve cats. Picture: Altai Biosphere Reserve

Meet the rare Pallas's cat as the animal comes face to face with a photo trap in its natural habitat in the Altai Nature Reserve.

The wild cats are famous for their adorable fluffy looks with rounded faces and expressive eyes. But they are secretive and do not like to be seen, making these images rather special. 

Known also as Manul cats, a name which has Mongolian origins, they appear bigger and heavier than they are. It's hair keeps it warm in its native Siberia but also gives the illusion of stocky frame and a larger size than it really has.

The Pallas's cat boasts about 9,000 hairs per square centimetre, and they can reach a length of 7 cm. These wildcats have longer and denser fur than any cat, yet underneath are the same size as domestic cats. 

Related millions of years ago to the leopard, this majestic cat is a native of Siberia though suffers from being less famous than some of its cousins. 

World's fluffiest, shyest, most expressive (and worryingly endangered) cat appears in wild photo-shoot.


World's fluffiest, shyest, most expressive (and worryingly endangered) cat appears in wild photo-shoot.
All images were downloaded from photo traps. Pictures here and below: Altai Biosphere Reserve


There is concern about their preservation, with poachers a real threat. 

'The measures that are applied to poachers now are not strict enough' warned Vladimir Krever, WWF coordinator on biological development. 'We don't have exact statistics on manual poaching but we know that it takes place. The exact number of the species is unknown because of the secretive behaviour of this species and the patchiness of its distribution.'

The rare untamed cat is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature where it has the status of "near threatened'.

The pictures came from a voluntary expedition to the Altai Republic, organised by the Altai Nature Reserve, WWF and Argali Regional Fund, aimed at animal protection.

World's fluffiest, shyest, most expressive (and worryingly endangered) cat appears in wild photo-shoot.


World's fluffiest, shyest, most expressive (and worryingly endangered) cat appears in wild photo-shoot.


World's fluffiest, shyest, most expressive (and worryingly endangered) cat appears in wild photo-shoot. 

Comments (8)

We had these in our zoo collection (Brookfield Zoo) for quite a while. Not sure why they left, I loved watching them in their habitat.
Chuck , Illinois
30/08/2016 01:18
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Thank you so much for the pictures and for the work to protect them. So sad that we are losing so many species.
Krystina, UK
27/08/2016 06:32
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Magnificent cat. Worthy of humankind's best efforts to protect and conserve habitat.
Joanna Perry, Portugal
02/08/2016 18:01
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What an unusual cat and great cat. Thanks for the great pictures, keep up the good work on protecting them.
maureen dobie, port moody BC Canada
02/08/2016 00:34
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ah ha, it's funny ~ cute pallas cat^8^
caihua, china
27/07/2016 14:56
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Ooh hello everybody, I'm Pallas the very shy cat, I just dropped by to say Hello & then Goodbye. "You say Hello & I say Goodbye".


PS 'Ain't he/she sweet!'
Jaker, Dundalk
27/07/2016 00:33
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I agree with Jocelyne. Thank you for sharing these pictures and introducing us to the Pallas/Manul cat. Nature has so many species each special and unique and so important to appreciate and protect.
Pamela Tetarenko, League City, USA
26/07/2016 07:03
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WONDERFUL pictures of Manul with his round pupils, in the wild ! ...BRAVO....
Thanks to protect them, treasure of this region.
Jocelyne, FRANCE
25/07/2016 15:24
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