A rare species, Palla’s cats are difficult to breed as they are susceptible to toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that is often fatal to kittens. The kittens, which are now nearly three months old, are a major success story for the park.

 

A complex breeding strategy was developed by keepers at the park, which mixed together cutting edge technology, medical treatment plans and animal management.

 

Keepers moved the adult male and female cats, Beebop and Alula, to an off-show enclosure fitted with camera traps and a sound activated recorder, so that they knew when mating had occurred and treatment could begin.

 

David Barclay, senior keeper for the Highland Wildlife Park and European breeding programme coordinator for Pallas’s cats, said:

 

“Monitoring the vocalisations of the cats helped us to identify when mating had taken place and this is the key time that a prevention treatment for toxoplasmosis needs to begin, in the early days of a potential pregnancy. 

 

“Unlike other treatment programmes that can be very intensive and stressful to the cats, our work here has allowed us to implement our veterinary protocol in a completely stress free environment.”

 

Following their breeding success, the Highland Wildlife Park has sent video and camera traps to Iran, Mongolia and Nepal to assist researchers in learning more about this elusive species.

 

Little is known about the population of Palla’s cats in Nepal, although it is suspected that these are an individual subspecies.

 

On the significance of this breeding strategy, Mr Barclay said: “I believe our technique of using Pallas’s cat vocalisations to give us a clearer insight into their breeding behaviour is a world first and that over time the results will help to improve our success with this species. It has also given us a unique insight into the behaviour of these cats which will be invaluable for future management.”