Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Bronx have confirmed for the first time the presence of a wild cat on Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. The research was published in the journal cat news.
The cat was discovered during the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, the largest scientific expedition to the mountain in history.
The scientists collected stool samples from two sites located at an altitude of 5110 and 5190 meters above sea level. DNA analysis confirmed that at least two manula lived on Mount Everest. Their range coincides with that of the red fox.
In stool samples, the researchers found DNA from pica and ferrets, which were important food sources for Pallas’ cat. Sagarmatha National Park, where the specimens are found, is a protected World Heritage Site.
In the future, scientists hope to estimate the abundance, population density and distribution of Pallas’s cat by collecting camera traps and additional fecal samples.