Orbs 'r' Us

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Was surfing the net yesterday and came across this endangered cat...I never even knew it existed let alone find out that it is on the endangered list!

The Pallas Cat or Manul Cat

This wild cat inhabits the rocky steppes of the Caspian Sea area, Iran, China, Russia, Mongolia, Tibet & Kazakhstan. Living in the rocky crevices or small caves, they make their dens in inaccessible areas to avoid predatory animals and humans. They hunt mostly at night and live off of Pikas and small rodents.

This wild cat is about the size of an average house cat and resembles a long haired grey tabby Persian cat, but it is not related to the domestic Persian! It has a short broad head [to fit in between rock crevasses], small round ears that are set down on the sides of the head [helps to make it hear rodents better] and large yellow eyes [excellent for seeing in the dark]. The body is heavy and supported on stocky legs...it's heavy claws aid in the climbing of the rocks. Their coat is the longest of any species of wild cat and consists of two heavy layers helping it to adapt to the coldest of winters. They have small black spots all over their body & head, and have 2 black bars on the sides of their face. They emit warning noises and mating calls that sounds like dogs barking.

The reason these wild cats are endangered are because of their fur coats and the fat from their bodies is used to treat upset stomachs and skin problems!

These cats are hard to catch and making a long coat requires about 25 pelts. This makes the coat very valuable and highly prized to wear one...not to mention keeping the wearer very warm.

These animals aid in keeping the rodent population down and are helpful in that area...so why must they be killed because of their fat and fur value? I guess one has to live in that area to understand why it is now being hunted to extinction! We don't even have very many in zoos around the world because of their small numbers and ease of being captured...thankfully there are people out there who are trying to save this animal!

Don't they look cute?