Siberian
Environmental Center
P.O. Box 547, Novosibirsk
Russia, 630090
+7-383-363-00-59
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June 4, 2008

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ARTICLES
Scientific

Wild cat species number and distribution in the USSR (extracts), 1973
A.A. Sludski
ANNOTATION
All wild cat species distribution in the former USSR is fully described in the article. They are European and African wild cats, leopard cat, chaus, lynx, caracal, Pallas cat, sand cat, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah. The description was made from the long-term author's investigations, the analises of annual fur harvests, and literary data. It is made the cats number. The separate part is devoted to Pallas' cat.
(full text is available in Russian) 926 kb
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Otocolobus manul
CITES, APPENDIX II
About Pallas' Cat in CITES Manual (1992). 204 kb
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Manul at the East Sayan and in Tunka Valley
D.G. Medvedev
ANNOTATION
In Tunka valley and on the east extremity of the East Sayan since 1985 till 2006 data about manul, cat's species which is exclusively rare for these places have been collected. In a ridge Tunkinsky alpinetundra belt and in some parts of a valley meetings of the manul, its traces, facts of the illegal extraction occurred as a rule is casual are registered. Manul's comings in its east part located in territory of Irkutsk area are noted also. It is established, that main and constant places of manul habitation is the Alpine part of a southern macroslope of a ridge Tunkinsky alpinetundra belt at the territory of republic Buryatiya. Manul is a new species for East Sayan and Tunkinsky national park. It is necessary for employees of the Tunkinsky national park to improve protection of a place of manul habitation and to strengthen struggle against its illegal extraction.
(full text is available in Russian) 57 kb
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Exploring the Ecologic Basis for Extreme Susceptibility of Pallas' cats (Otocolobus manul) to Fatal Toxoplasmosis
Meredith Brown, Michael R. Lappin, Janine L. Brown, Bariushaa Munkhtsog, and William F. Swanson
Recent efforts by North American zoos to establish a genetically viable captive population of Pallas’ cats (Otocolobus manul) have been compromised by high newborn mortality (about 60%), primarily because of toxoplasmosis. The basis for this extreme susceptibility to toxoplasmosis is unknown. In the present study, the general health status of wild Pallas’ cats in Mongolia was evaluated, including assessment of basal hematologic parameters and fecal corticoid metabolite concentrations. 108 kb
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Silent Steppe: The Illegal Wildlife Trade Crisis in Mongolia
Wingard J.R. and P. Zahler
Extracts from the volume (July 2006) on this website: About Pallas' cat illegal trade in Mongolia. 35 kb
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Some Specifics and Problems Associated with Captive Management of Pallas' cats (Felis manul)
Irina Alekseicheva
ANNOTATION
Having gained a long-term experience of work with Pallas' cats, author agrees with the opinion of foreign scientists that Toxoplasmosis is the main cause of the high mortality rate in kittens and health problems in adult animals. Development of husbandry strategy for this species should be based on the prevention of infections with Toxoplasmosis of newly arriving animals and uninfected Pallas' cats, development of treatment protocols for infected animals and cats with clinical signs, and maintaining the immune status of Pallas' cats at the appropriate level. Regular examinations of faeces for oocytes are highly important. Post-mortem examination for Toxoplasmosis should be performed on all carcasses of Pallas' cats, regardless of the cause of death.
(full text is available in Russian) 69 kb
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Seasonal Fluctuations of the Behavioral Activity, Nutritional Requirements, and Weight in Pallas' Cats
T.S. Demina
ANNOTATION
Observations of Pallas' cats at the Moscow Zoo's Breeding Station demonstrated seasonal changes in the activity of the animals, as well as in daily food consumption and weights of the cats. Feeding features, seasonal dynamics of body weight and nutritional requirements are important factors affecting physiological condition of Pallas' cats, which are not active, especially in winter. Survival rate of this species depends on the availability of rich in calories food items which prove to be most important in such a critical season as autumn, when their fat resources, or energetic potential, is increasing.
(full text is available in Russian) 62 kb
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Husbandry of Pallas' Cats (Felis manul manul) at the Novosibirsk Zoo
O.V. Shilo, R.A. Shilo
ANNOTATION
The article presents methods of Pallas' cats' keeping, feeding, breeding and raising at Novosibirsk Zoo, and lists anti-worm medications. Pregnancy lasts from 59 to 73 days. Parent rearing of cubs, as well as rearing the cubs by domestic cats have been used and proved successful.
(full text is available in Russian) 1,4 mb
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Some Statistics on the Breeding of Pallas' cats in the European Population
Irina Alekseicheva
Until the middle of the 1990's few zoos had Pallas' cats in their collections. To some extent this could be attributed to the low exhibit value of the species due to the small size and the incredible shyness of these animals, which is not typical of even the most cautious cats. However, the greatest problem in the husbandry of Pallas' cats is the high occurrence of still births and an extremely high kitten mortality rate, especially during the first six months of life. 66 kb
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Rare and scantly species of mammals of South-West Tuva
Tkachenko V.A., Tkachenko S.V.
ANNOTATION
In the article data of population and spread of rare, scantly and protected species in Mongun-Teigin kozhuun is displayed. The authors noted that Pallas cat is rather rare in South-West Tuva. Their number is not more than 30-40. The higher density is only in the marmota's settlements near the Mongolian boundary.
(full text is available in Russian) 49 kb
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Pallas Cat SSP
Martha Caron
A meeting of the Pallas Cat SSP was held in conjunction with the mid-year Felid TAG meeting in Saint Louis, MO on March 17, 2005. The current demographic and genetic status of the SSP population was reviewed. As of March 2004, the SSP population consisted of 65 cats (32.33.0) in 17 (soon to be 18) institutions. A list of seven potential new holding institutions willing to accept cats in 2006 has been compiled to date. 50 kb
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Getting Serious About Small Felids: The Necessity for Broader Zoo Involvement
Bill Swanson
Of the world's 36 felid species, 28 are classified as small cats, with average body mass of less than 20 kg. Many of these species face grave threats to their survival in the wild but, historically, have been relatively neglected in conservation and science circles. In 2001, the Felid Taxon Advisory Group established its first Species Survival Plans (SSPs) for small-sized felids, specifically for the ocelot, Pallas' cat, fishing cat, sand cat and blackfooted cat. 38 kb
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Modern state of mammals biodiversity of Kazakhstan Upland and factors that influence it
Erjanov N.T.
ANNOTATION
Author sais about mammals of Kazakhstan Upland. It is rich and diverse. Among others species Pallas cat inhabits this place. He occurs in southern part of upland in particular in Amantau, Karkaraly, Koshubai, Temirshi, and Jaksy-Abraly Mountains. In the west part he inhabits Aktau, Kyzyltau, and Ortau Mountains. Also he lives in the Chingiztau. There is no trustworthy data on Pallas cat from other parts of the upland.
(full text is available in Russian) 207 kb
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Cats in Arjin Mountains Reserve, China
Cat News
A Canadian team has reported snow leopard, Pallas’ cat and lynx in the Arjin Mountains Nature Reserve in Xinjiang, western China.
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Pallas Cat in Eastern Sayan
D.G. Medvedev
ANNOTATION
The author informs about the discovery of Pallas cat population in the Tunkinskie Goltsy range (Eastern Sayan), Republic of Buryatia. For the first time he found out Pallas cat tracks at a height of 2400 in February 14, 1985. Since that time Pallas cats are sometimes found there. Probably Pallas cat may penetrate Irkutsk region through the range and Tunkinskaya valley.
(full text is available in Russian)
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About Pallas cat (Felis manul Pall., 1778) nutrition and behaviour in the South-Eastern Zabaikalye
V.E. Kiriliuk
ANNOTATION
In article you can find a new information about nutrition and behaviour peculiarities of Pallas Cat. This data is obtained during the research conducted by Russian zoologists in three Pallas cat habitats in 1995 (in Chita region and Mongolia). There drawn conclusions that Pallas cat wellbeing is depend on the presence of territories with covers (e.g. outcrops) and a plenty of pikas and other Pallas cat preys.
(full text is available in Russian)
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Conserving the elusive Pallas cat and other carnivores of the Mongolian steppes
James Murdoch, Richard Reading
The grassland steppes of central Asia represent one of the largest, intact ecosystems in the world. Extending from Eastern Europe in a broad band through northern China, the grasslands cross over 8000 km and rival the great Serengeti Plains of Africa in magnitude and breadth. In Mongolia, the grassland steppes border the gravely terrain of the Gobi Desert, considered one of the world’s largest and most pristine desert ecosystems.
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Home Range Characteristics and Conservation of Pallas’ Cat in Mongolia
Bariushaa Munkhtsog, Steve Ross, Meredith Brown
The Pallas’ cat Otocolobus manul is a small felid endemic to Central Asia. Throughout its range, Pallas’ cat is under threat from habitat fragmentation, hunting and vermin control programs. Our knowledge of the status of Pallas’ cat is limited by our poor understanding of its ecology in the wild; this deficiency also prevents us creating priority based conservation programs for the species.
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Toxoplasmosis in Pallas’ cats (Otocolobus manul) raised in captivity
W. BASSO, R. EDELHOFER, W. ZENKER, K. MOЁSTL, A. KUЁ BBER-HEISS and H. PROSL
Manuls or Pallas’ cats (Felis manul, syn. Otocolobus manul) are endangered wild cats from Central Asia kept and bred in many zoos. Despite good breeding success young cats frequently die from acute toxoplasmosis. From 1998 to 2002, a breeding pair in the SchoЁnbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, gave birth to 24 kittens; 58% of kittens died between the 2nd and the 14th week of life, mostly due to acute toxoplasmosis. The epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in Pallas’ cats was examined and a control strategy to protect the kittens from fatal toxoplasmosis was developed. One 12-week-old kitten from a litter of 6 born in 2001 died of generalized toxoplasmosis.
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Proviral Organization and Sequence Analysis of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Isolated from a Pallas’ Cat
MARGARET C. BARR, LILY ZOU, FAN LONG, WENDY A. HOOSE, and ROGER J. AVERY
The nucleotide sequence and genomic organization have been determined for a highly cytopathic feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) isolated from a Pallas’ cat. The 9747-bp provirus of this virus, FIV-Oma, has typical lentivirus organization with LTRs, gag, pol, and env open reading frames (ORFs), putative vif and rev ORFs, and an ORF similar to ORF2/ORFA of domestic cat FIV isolates. Although the FIV-Oma provirus is 300 to 600 bp longer than other FIV proviruses, these additional bases are distributed throughout the genome.
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Pallas cat distribution and number in South-Eastern Zabaikalye and reasons of its changing
V.E. Kiriliuk, V.A. Puzanskiy
ANNOTATION
The main information about Pallas cat of Chita region is collected in the article. The authors have analysed a big volume of literature and archives and used data obtained during their own research in 1992-1997. There are figures of modern Pallas cat distribution and past skin purchases, a list of bibliography.
(full text is available in Russian)
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Immunodeficiency associated with multiple concurrent infections in captive Pallas' cats (Otocolobus manul)
Ketz-Riley, C. J.; Ritchey, J. W.; Hoover, J. P.; Johnson, C. M.; Barrie, M. T.
Five neonatal Pallas' cats (Otocolobus manul) at the Oklahoma City Zoo died from toxoplasmosis with concurrent herpesvirus infection.
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An intraerythrocytic small piroplasm in wild-caught Pallas's cats (Otocolobus manul) from Mongolia
Ketz-Riley, Cornelia J.; Reichard, Mason V.; Van Den Bussche, Ronald A.; Hoover, John P.; Meinkoth, James; Kocan, A. Alan
During the quarantine examination of four Pallas cats (Otocolobus manul) imported from Mongolia in October and December 2000, intraerythrocytic piroplasms were detected on Wright-Giemsa stained blood films that were morphologically indistinguishable from other small piroplasms of felids.
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Reproductive endocrine responses to photoperiod and exogenous gonadotropins in the Pallas' cat (Otocolobus manul)
Brown, J. L.; Graham, L. H.; Wu, J. M.; Collins, D.; Swanson, W. F.
Reproductive endocrine responses to photoperiod and exogenous gonadotropins in the Pallas' cat (Otocolobus manul)
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Toxoplasmosis in Pallas' cats (Otocolobus felis manul) at the Denver Zoological Gardens
Kenny, D. E.; Lappin, M. R.; Knightly, F.; Baier, J.; Brewer, M.; Getzy, D. M.
In May 1996 the Denver Zoological Gardens obtained two male and two female Pallas' cats (Otocolobus felis manul) that were wild-caught in the Ukraine.
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Gastric spiral bacteria in small felids
Kinsel, M. J.; Kovarik, P.; Murnane, R. D.
Nine small cats, including one bobcat (Felis rufus), one Pallas cat (F. manul), one Canada lynx (F. lynx canadensis), two fishing cats (F. viverrina), two margays (F. wiedii), and two sand cats (F. margarita), necropsied between June 1995 and March 1997 had large numbers of gastric spiral bacteria, whereas five large cats, including one African lion (Panthera lee), two snow leopards (P. uncia), one Siberian tiger (P. tigris altaica), and one jaguar (P. onca), necropsied during the same period had none.
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Influence of seasonality on reproductive traits of the male Pallas' cat (Felis manul) and implications for captive management
Swanson, W. F.; Brown, J. L.; Wildt, D. E.
A male Pallas' cat (Felis manul) was housed under natural lighting conditions in an outdoor pen for 20 mo and subjected to bimonthly reproductive evaluations consisting of blood sampling for hormonal analysis, testicular volume and body weight measurement, and electroejaculation.
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Fecal androgen metabolite analysis for non invasive monitoring of testicular steroidogenic activity in felids
Brown, J. L.; Terio, K. A.; Graham, L. H.
Limited data are available on long-term, seasonal changes in testicular steroidogenic activity in nondomestic felids, primarily because of the difficulties associated with longitudinal blood sampling (e.g., handling, restraint, anesthesia).
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Бесконтактный мониторинг репродуктивного состояния самок манула (Otocolobus manul) методом радиоимунного и иммуноферментного анализа стероидных гормонов в фекалиях. (in Russian)
Е.Ю.Ткачева, О.Б.Лифанова, И.А.Алексеичева
Манул (Felis manul) - редкий представитель семейства кошачьих, занесенный в Красную Книгу России. Распространен в пустынях и степях Азии, на территории России, Монголии и Северо-западного Китая. Актуальность исследований, посвященных проблеме размножения манула в зоопарках, объясняется не только его малочисленностью, но также и тем, что это чрезвычайно скрытный и молчаливый зверь.
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