Credit:Mammal keeper Willemijn/Stephen Woodham/Cotswold Wildlife Park/Cover Images

Cotswold Wildlife Park's rare Pallas's Cat kittens made their public debut on International Cat Day on Monday (8August2022). The Park’s breeding pair of majestic Pallas’s Cats, Tull and Penelope, recently produced their first litter at the Park. In the wild, their breeding season is incredibly short due to the extreme climate in their native range of Central Asia. Oestrus only lasts between 26 and 42 hours, which is considered shorter than many other felines. Births in captivity are considered rare - only four other European zoological collections have successfully bred this enigmatic species in the last 12 months. The kittens have made their debut in time for International Cat Day - a global event held each year on 8 August. Jamie Craig, Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, said: “We are delighted that our pair of Pallas's Cats have produced their first litter together. Every birth of this species is an achievement and keepers are very proud watching them grow. This interesting and active species are sadly declining in numbers in their wild habitat and it is great to be contributing to their captive breeding programme". The Park is home to more than 1,500 animals from 250 different species and the Pallas’s Cats are arguable one of the most elusive animals in the collection. Their shy nature in the wild means there is very little known about these creatures. German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas originally classified the cat as 'Felis manul' in 1776. The word 'manul' has its roots in the Mongolian language. Its current scientific name, Otocolobus manul, comes from the Greek language and can be translated to 'ugly-eared'. Now in its twentieth year, International Cat Day - a global event held each year on 8 August, aims to raise awareness about cat welfare around the world. Cotswold Wildlife Park home to three rare cat species; Asiatic Lions, Clouded Leopards and Pallas’s Cats. It is committed to the breeding programmes to these endangered animals. The Cotswold Wildlife Park Conservation Trust proudly supports the Pallas’s Cat International Conservation Alliance (PICA) – aiming to improve understanding of the species and enhance global conservation efforts, and the Kope Lion Project which aims to protect Lions and enable lasting co-existence between people and Lions in Northern Tanzania. Their on-the-ground teams aim to stop the killing of Lions, but also retrieve lost livestock, warn herders of Lions’ presence and offer wound treatment to injured livestock.