{"id":60075513,"date":"2025-04-03T18:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T17:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=news_digest&#038;p=60075513"},"modified":"2025-04-04T00:51:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T23:51:25","slug":"death-of-viral-pallass-cat-sparks-conservation-debate","status":"publish","type":"news_digest","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/death-of-viral-pallass-cat-sparks-conservation-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Death of viral Pallas\u2019s cat sparks conservation debate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The death of a viral Pallas\u2019s cat in captivity has <a href=\"https:\/\/mp.weixin.qq.com\/s\/QvkrlgX6QHgy5ysrIKLqyQ\">highlighted<\/a> concerns about the protection of the species\u2019 wild population and fragile desert habitat in China\u2019s north-west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On March 24, the Qinghai Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center announced that Sun Shangxiang, a Pallas\u2019s cat which had been popular on Chinese social media, <a href=\"https:\/\/mp.weixin.qq.com\/s\/-kaF3Vv0kI6XddAarpGIlQ\">passed away<\/a> from an acute duodenal ulcer perforation.&nbsp;It had been rescued by the centre in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The species is notoriously difficult to tame and raise in captivity, and has poor immunity, <a href=\"https:\/\/mp.weixin.qq.com\/s\/-kaF3Vv0kI6XddAarpGIlQ\">noted<\/a> Guangzhou Daily. In the Qinghai centre, the only facility in China to house Pallas\u2019s cats, several have died in the last three years due to accidents and disease, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China is home to over half of the world\u2019s Pallas\u2019s cat population. It is a nationally protected species and is listed as endangered on the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.cn\/xinwen\/2021-02\/09\/5586227\/files\/e007df5cdb364bcdbcb89d169047d6c5.pdf\">Biodiversity Red List<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wild Pallas\u2019s cat populations remain under threat. The species mainly inhabits high-altitude deserts and grasslands, with one of its <a href=\"https:\/\/gs.ifeng.com\/c\/8ZuQVTXpysh\">key habitats<\/a> being the Qilian Mountains in Zhangye, a desert region in north-west China.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sun Quanhui, a scientist at the non-profit World Animal Protection, <a href=\"https:\/\/mp.weixin.qq.com\/s\/Tv2Y1-CF5qYhi-HOWGg7xg\">explained<\/a> that the best way to ensure the Pallas\u2019s cat\u2019s survival is to preserve its natural habitats and minimise human interference in its ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, construction of wind farms in Zhangye may be contributing to a decline in local populations of the species, noted wildlife conservation non-profit Chinese Field Conservation Alliance. The organisation has for years been conducting Pallas\u2019s cat <a href=\"https:\/\/user.guancha.cn\/main\/content?id=1236103\">surveys<\/a> in the region.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zhangye.gov.cn\/zyszfxxgk\/fdzdgknr_5657\/zyghgy\/zxgh\/202302\/t20230203_979179.html\">government plans<\/a>, Zhangye is set to become a major wind energy base, with more renewable energy projects planned. Such infrastructure could lead to fragmentation of habitats and the depletion of food resources, making it harder for wildlife to survive, Liu Jiliang, an associate professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences\u2019 Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, told <a href=\"https:\/\/science.caixin.com\/2025-03-12\/102297207.html\">Caixin<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liu also stressed that conservation efforts in the region require more funding as well as monitoring and research personnel. \u201cWind farm construction is progressing rapidly \u2013 faster than our ability to study its impact on wildlife,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Read Dialogue Earth\u2019s previous <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/wildlife-protection-law-controversy-over-captive-breeding-rumbles-on\/\"><em>analysis<\/em><\/a><em> on China\u2019s wildlife protection law.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pallas\u2019s cat death has sparked debates about captivity, breeding and habitat conservation for the species<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60006649,"template":"","categories":[764],"tags":[511,523],"country":[20000110],"digest-collection":[50039911],"class_list":["post-60075513","news_digest","type-news_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","tag-biodiversity","tag-conservation","country-china"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Death of viral Pallas\u2019s cat sparks conservation debate | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Pallas\u2019s cat death has sparked debates about captivity, breeding and habitat conservation for the species\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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