In a new article published in the journal Cat News, A landmark description of the first recorded observation of Pallas’s cat was made on Mount Everest in Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park. This remarkable discovery was the result of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest expedition, the largest scientific expedition to the mountain in history.

From April 7 to May 2, 2019, Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition Biofield Team Co-Leader and member of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo Zoological Health Programme. Tracy Simon collected environmental samples from altitudes of 5,110 and 5,190 meters (16,765). and 17,027 feet) above sea level through Sagarmatha National Park on the southern slope of Mount Everest. Samples were taken from locations 6 km (3.7 mi) apart.

“Discovering evidence of this rare and wonderful sight on top of the world is extraordinary,” said Dr Simon. “The nearly four-week trip has been immensely rewarding not only for our team but also for the wider scientific community. The discovery of Pallas’s cat on Everest illuminates the rich biodiversity of this remote high-altitude ecosystem and extends the species’ known range to eastern Nepal. expanding.”

DNA analysis of waste samples collected from both sites confirmed that Pallas’ two cats lived on Mount Everest and regionally resembled a red fox. In the DNA samples, the researchers found pica and ferret, an important food source for Pallas’ cat. The findings also add a new species to the list of known mammals in Sagarmatha National Park, a highly visited and protected World Heritage Site.

“This is a unique discovery, not only from a scientific point of view, but also from a conservation point of view, because this population of Pallas’s cat is legally protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora),” said the National Geographic researcher and Co-author of the article, Dr. Anton Seymon. “We hope that the endorsement of this new charismatic species will increase awareness and education about the diversity of species at this iconic World Heritage Site.”

The number of tourists visiting Sagarmatha National Park and Mount Everest has increased significantly, from just a few thousand in the 1970s to over fifty thousand in 2019. Remarkably, Pallas’s cat remained undetected at this park until 2019, and new research shows how conservation genetics and environmental sampling can be used as a powerful approach to identify and study enigmatic and elusive species like Pallas’s cat.

Future studies combining camera trap surveys and the collection of additional litter samples will help better define the cat population, range, density and diet in Pallas’ Sagarmatha National Park.

“The groundbreaking 2019 expedition of Perpetual Planet Everest remains critical to better understanding our planet’s most iconic environment,” said Nicole Alexiev, vice president of science and innovation programs at the National Geographic Society. “These results are a great example of why this work is important and a cornerstone of our partnership with Rolex in the study and research of Earth’s most important life support systems.”