Edinburgh Zoo welcomes Akiko, the "world's grumpiest cat"

Akiko is the only Pallas’ wildcat at the zoo at present

Conservationists are hoping to boost the population of the world’s least known wildcat after a male of the species has been introduced to Edinburgh Zoo.

Akiko, who is a Pallas’ cat, has arrived at the zoo as part of the breeding program for the species and will soon be joined by a female companion.

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The Pallas is a small cat species that can be found in the mountain grasslands of Asia. It is often referred to as the “world’s grumpiest cat” because of its unusual face and thick fur It is hoped they will produce kittens. Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the wildlife charity that runs Edinburgh Zoo, also manages the European breeding program and stud book for the species.

Andrew Laing, senior animal keeper at Edinburgh Zoo said, “We are thrilled to have Pallas’s cats at the zoo again and are looking forward to having a breeding pair soon that will hopefully help boost the population of the species.

RZSS

“Akiko has been settling in well to his new home and we are looking forward to bringing in a mate for him in the next few months.”

Pallas’s cats face various threats across their wide range, mainly habitat loss and degradation due to agricultural expansion and infrastructural development, loss of their preferred prey and predation by domestic dogs. Their secretive nature and the remoteness of their habitat also make them difficult to study, and they are amongst the least known wild cat species in the world.

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“World’s Grumpiest Cat” “World’s Grumpiest Cat”
“World’s Grumpiest Cat” | RZSS

RZSS has managed the breeding programme for the species for over 15 years and in that time, helped establish the global conservation project PICA (Pallas's cat International Conservation Alliance) alongside project partners Nordens Ark and Snow Leopard Trust.

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