Pallas’s cats to be counted and protected: "Mars" and "Irbis" launch the second phase of the programme to conserve the wild cat

The Interregional Irbis Association and the company Mars signed an agreement at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) to continue the programme for the conservation of the Pallas’s cat (manul). During the first phase, 190 camera traps were installed this year in Tyva, Buryatia, the Altai, Trans‑Baikal, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. They will make it possible to begin counting the number of Pallas's cats in Russia. In the n ext phase, the camera‑trap network will be expanded, and its data will form the basis of a report with recommendations for the protection of the species. Last year, the company Mars and the Interregional Irbis Association, which studies and conserves rare animal species, announced at the EEF the launch of a programme to study and protect the Pallas’s cat population in Russia. Scientific expertise for the project is provided by researchers from the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS) — one of the country’s key scientific centres in the field of wildlife studies. The Pallas’s cat remains one of the most enigmatic and understudied representatives of wild cats in Russia. Few people know that this charming but elusive cat may find itself on the brink of extinction without proper support. Pallas’s cats are specifically hunted for their fur or for food. They also fall into snares and traps set for marmots or hares, or die from poisoning during rodent‑control campaigns. Due to their secretive nature, the Pallas’s cat has been outside systematic monitoring in Russia for more than a decade, and scientists still do not have precise data on the size of its population.

The camera traps installed as part of the project make it possible to track the movements of Pallas’s cats and collect important data without interfering with their natural environment. Today, camera traps have already been installed in five locations — the Sayano‑Shushensky and Daurian reserves, the Ubsunur Ho llow, and the Sailugemsky and Tunkinsky national parks. The cameras are mounted on special poles with markers to protect the equipment from accidental damage by livestock of local herders.
The second phase will allow the expansion of the camera‑trap network and the collection of more data for scientific analysis. Monitoring data will help scientists assess the Pallas’s cat population and, most importantly, develop effective measures to conserve this rare species in the wild. Active cooperation is also planned with colleagues from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China to exchange experience and discuss methods for studying and protecting Pallas’s cats. In parallel, educational outreach will be conducted with local residents: this will help find new ways to combat poaching and create a safe habitat for the Pallas’s cat.