Pallas Cat

In Buryatia Pallas' cat inhabits steppes, rocky slopes, semi-desert and desert mountain ridges, and low hills, but is sometimes found in the woods near stone outcrops and around cliffs.

Pallas' cat is common in steppes and forested steppes of the Selenga plateau. Northern border of the habitat runs along the left bank of the Selenga river up to the latitude of Ulan-Ude. In the south Pallas' cat is found along the Jida (down from Tsakir), along the Selenga and in the alpine steppes of the Small Khamar-Daban. Very seldom crosses over into Kizhinga and Horin regions. Once Pallas' cat was found along the upper courses of the Barguzin river. Pallas' cat is very rare in the Borgoi conservation area (Jida region).

Tunkinskie Goltsy range. Photo by Slava Pisarev

In the frontier areas of Buryatia Pallas' cat has been observed in the Tunkinskaya valley and its surrounding cliffs. In the winter of 1985 tracks presumably left by Pallas' cat have been found in the basin of the Zun-Hasurt river. In 1986 a single Pallas' cat has been killed by hunters in the middle course of the Irkut river near the village Turan. In the summer of 1988 Pallas' cat has been sighted near the Haitagol village. In november 1989 a Pallas' cat has been acquired in the vicinity of the Uta-Zhelga river, in the basin of the Irkut. Pallas' cat tracks have been found around the Tibelti village. Numerous sightings are in the area surrounding of the Zun-Murino village, near the border of Irkutsk region.

Dmitri Medvedev, a zoologist from Irkutsk, says that the date of discovery of the high-altitude Pallas' cat population should be February 1984, when he first found the tracks of this cat on the Tunkinskie Goltsy mountain range. The tracks ran through the crest of the rock ridge at considerable heights, higher than the tree line. Since then Pallas' cat's tracks and faeces were regularly recorded. Medvedev collected two Pallas' cat pelts, including one from the upper border of the mountain cedar forest (about 2200 m above the sea level). Pallas' cats and their tracks were seen in the central and eastern part of the Tunkinskie Goltsy slopes. Pallas Cat is practically common around the science center near the Haitogol village. The Pallas' cat population inhabits the Tunkinskaya valley mainly in the alpine zone. In the valley itself Pallas' cats are seen much more rarely - apparently, they come from the alpine part of the mountains.

In 1998-1999 the researchers from the animal ecology lab of the Buryatia Science Center inspected the typical areas where Pallas' cats might live in Bichursky, Kyahtinsky, Jidinsky and Selenginsky region of the republic. They found Pallas' cat tracks, faeces, possibly lairs; they also made inquiries amongst the locals and hunters. It was recorded that the most typical Pallas' cat habitats in Buryatia are the steppe areas with big stones or rock formations.

Among the members of the expedition were Borisova N.G. (the team leader), Dagdunova A.A., Starkov A.I, Budaev A.B., Sazonov G.I.