International Collaboration to Save the Pallas’s cat

An important part of the initiative is to increase the knowledge of the species in the wild.

“Pallas’s cats are quite mysterious animals”, says Emma Nygren, a biologist at Swedish Zoo Nordens Ark who coordinates the project. “We need to increase the knowledge of the species in order to create a plan to save them.”

For this reason Nordens Ark, Snow Leopard Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have formed the Pallas Cat International Conservation Alliance, PICA, with the purpose to increase our knowledge about the cat’s ecology and the threats its facing in the wild.

Through cooperation with scientists, rangers, field workers and various experts across range countries, this alliance will gather information in order to create effective conservation plans. The project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Fondation Segré, based in Switzerland.

Nordens Ark and Snow Leopard Trust have been collaborating for several years on the long-term ecological study on snow leopards in the Tost Mountains in Mongolia. The new Pallas’ cat project is an expansion of this collaboration and will also include the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

“By using Snow Leopard Trust network and logistics support in Central Asia and Royal Zoological Society of Scotland expertise on Pallas cats we will maximize our efforts in a way that will benefit the conservation of both snow leopards and Pallas cats”, says Emma Nygren.