#otocolobus

A young Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul) hides in a rock formation in Ulaanbaatar, Eastern Mongolia.

Pallas's Cat aka Manul (Otocolobus manul), family Felidae, found across a huge swatch of Central Asia, the Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau, and Mongolia

Pallas's cats to get their own 'palace' in Siberian mountains

The world's fluffiest feline get a first-in-the-world scientific zone where the endangered wildcats will be protected and studied.

The 32 square kilometre site at Sailyugemsky Nature Park in Altai Mountains is seen as a key step in protecting the secretive animal which are known for their expressive faces and adorable looks - although they are far from tame.

Native to remote regions of southern Siberia, as well as Central Asia and China, they are seldom seen, and known for their reclusive and solitary lives.

A recent international conference in Novosibirsk on the Pallas's cat agreed on measures to protect the rare species, and the park's enhanced role in monitoring and observing.

The park - which hosted the conference with representatives from Russia, the US, the UK, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Mongolia and Ukraine - has 15 photo traps geared to watching these animals, and infrastructure which will be used to help their survival.

The wildcat is in the Russian Red Book, although in neighbouring Mongolia it is hunted on with dogs for fur. Researchers believe that this can lead to complete extinction of the Pallas cat population in border areas.

Poachers are also a direct threat to the cat in Russia. Data on the wildcats is incomplete but it is known they live in TransBaikal region, and the republics of Tuva and Altai.

Denis Malikov, deputy director of Sailyugemsky Park said: 'The Pallas' cat is unfairly forgotten in the world although the animal is on the edge of extinction. There are only a handful of researchers studying it in Russia.'

The park is to become a global platform for study of the Pallas' cat, he said. Researcher Alexey Kuzhlekov said: 'We need to estimate the number of Pallas's cats, and study the habitat area.