Pallas’s cat or Manul is one of the species of wild cats found in India. Predominantly existing in the Himalayan region of the country, this species is very shy, and its population is scant. As it is found in high, hilly areas, there is a lack of information and awareness about this species.
In such a situation, there are many challenges regarding the conservation of this cat. To understand more about these challenges, Mongabay spoke to Neeraj Mahar, a researcher at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
What is the status of the presence of Pallas’s cat in India?
Very thorough research has not yet been done about the status of Pallas’s cat in India. But it is found in the trans-Himalayan states of the country like Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim. The records found so far are from these states only. Since this is a very rarely seen species, not much research has been done on it yet. Because of this, not much is still known about the status of this species in India.
If we talk about other countries, a lot of work has been done on this in Mongolia. Efforts have been made to determine their home range, to collar them, and to estimate their population through camera traps. But in India, we are still lagging behind.
Out of the four states you mentioned, its records are not found in Uttarakhand. Do you know of any records of Pallas’s cats in Uttarakhand?
I would say that till now no concrete records have been found from Himachal Pradesh, but recently, a few days ago, records have been found in Hangrang Valley of Kinnaur. If we talk about Uttarakhand, a researcher from the WII has recorded a Pallas’s cat in a camera trap in the Nelong Valley in the Gangotri National Park.
What is the population of Pallas’s cat in these four states? What about their areas of existence?
As I said in the beginning, not much study has been done yet, but this species is mostly seen in Ladakh only. They are found in many places in Ladakh; like I spotted them in some areas of Changtang. Apart from this, records have been found in Hemis and Ule Tokpo. The sightings have gone up at other places in Ladakh as well.
If we talk about Himachal, Uttarakhand and Sikkim, there is only one photographic record in each of these states.
What are the challenges in research on Pallas’s cat in India?
The first thing is, to date, we have not focused on this particular species of cats. We have always been attracted by big carnivorous species like tigers, snow leopards or panthers, so we did not focus on Pallas’s cats at all. Second, since this is such a rarely seen species, researchers are also unsure about finding relevant data about Pallas’s cat. This could also be a reason.
But to date, no funds have been allotted for research on these cats in the country. Even at the international level, because they are widely found in Mongolia, most of the focus was on that country; no one paid any attention to these cats in India. But now, scientists and researchers in the country have started working on this. However, we need to put in a lot of systematic effort.
Recently, Pallas’s cats have been found at many places in Ladakh in camera trappings done to record the status of snow leopards. If you look for this data in the Department of Wildlife Protection, you will get this information.
You work with the Manul Working Group. What are the primary tasks of this organization?
The Manul Working Group is a working group affiliated with the Cat Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It mainly includes those people who are either doing research on these cats or are interested in knowing more about them. Its members are from many countries who work in their respective fields and promote research activities, awareness, policies and new projects at the international level. In India, this group is also trying to work with the government.
Recently, a Pallas’s cat was spotted in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. How significant is that?
I would like to add that the confirmed records of the presence of Pallas’s cat were not from the same landscape of Himachal, be it Lahaul Spiti or the cold arid region of Kinnaur. But after this sighting, there is strong evidence of the presence of these cats in Himachal as well. What’s significant is that the people there already know about this species; they are aware that similar-looking animals are found here. After this sighting, it is confirmed that from Ladakh to Sikkim, there is a continuous habitat of Pallas’s cats in the region.
As we were talking about challenges, are there any challenges regarding their food and habitat?
I think that this species is naturally rare and other carnivorous animals are also found in this landscape. Now if you talk about Ladakh, there are snow leopards, wolves, lynxes and foxes. The competition is tough and hence the activities of Manul are not much visible. Apart from this, maybe there are very few Manuls.
Talking about their prey, they mostly eat pika and vole. And the habitat is especially the cold desert area which comes in the Trans Himalayas and most of which is in Ladakh and Lahaul Spiti.
Going forward, what needs to be done?
As you are aware this species has been included in Appendix II of the CMS (Convention on Migratory Species) hence its international relevance has only increased. If we talk about India, there is a need for increased collaboration. Irrespective of whether the organisations are governmental or non-governmental, everyone will have to work together because the landscape is huge and the challenges are enormous. You have to start somewhere and do more work in the coming days to understand the ecology, and the status and population of Pallas’s cats.
This article was first published on Mongabay.
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