On International Pallas’s Cat Day, the Moscow Zoo’s library hosted a round table titled "Issues of Pallas’s Cat Adaptation" with the support of the "Irbis" Association. The event was attended by specialists from relevant organisations and institutions, including Rosprirodnadzor, the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPEE RAS), the "Irbis Mongolia Center NGO", the "Irbis" Centre for Study and Conservation of the Snow Leopard, Russian zoos, and specially protected natural areas where these elusive cats live.

At the round table, speakers delivered reports on providing assistance to Pallas’s cats from the wild, documenting necessary procedures for removal, rehabilitation of Pallas’s cats, preparing them for release back into the wild, and much more. Specialists also discussed plans for the construction of a Pallas’s cat rehabilitation centre in the Daursky Nature Reserve.

“

We closely observe the Pallas’s cat from a distance, but we have little understanding of its needs when it finds itself in trouble. Cases of kittens being found in the steppe and adult individuals needing help are becoming more frequent. Yet the guidelines remain fragmented. Our task is to assemble everything into a unified system and prescribe all the regulations,

stated Svetlana Akulova, Director General of the Moscow Zoo.

On its feast day, Timofey the Pallas’s cat, who lives on the zoo’s grounds, received a gift. The Association "Irbis" is pleased to host such events and contribute to the development of programmes for the study, rehabilitation, and breeding of the Pallas’s cat.

We thank VTB Bank and the "LIVING NATURE AND WORLD" Foundation for supporting the round table. Special thanks go to the Moscow Zoo for their friendship, organisation, warm welcome, and cosy atmosphere.