A uncommon Ili pika has pop out out of hiding for the first time in over 20 years . dub a “ magic hare ” by its finders , this endearing critter with a teddy bear - like aspect is aboriginal to the Tianshan Mountains of northwest China . unluckily , the rarity of sighting has little to do with its location and more to do with the fact that the species is in danger of extinction . Only 2,000 of them are left in the wild , grant to a 1990s estimate by theIUCN Red List .
If nothing else , this cunning creature has a bent for concealing . Ili pika sighting are few and far between , with only 29 of them tell apart in over three decades . Hence , when conservationist Weidong Li caught a glimpse of the panoptic - eyed mammal perched on a rock drop-off face , he capture the moment with a few suction stop of his camera .
However , this is is n’t the first time that Li has seen the creature : He first stumbled upon the animal in 1983 , and two year later he caught one and it was officially declared a newfangled species . The animal dwells at high elevation between 2,800 and 4,100 meters ( 9,200 and 13,450 feet),according to National Geographic , and primarily eat pasture , herbs , and other mountain plant .
A 2005 nosecount estimates that the Ili pika is no longer ascertain at 57 percentage of previously inhabited sites . " This tiny species could be extinct any time,”Li separate CNN.“They do n’t survive in the situation where they used to be anymore . ” He tally : “ If it becomes nonextant in front of me , I ’ll feel so hangdog . ”
Their declivity is probably due to grazing pressure from farm animal and melodic line defilement . Unfortunately , no bed conservation measurement are in place for the Ili cony . Li hopes his rediscovery will help spark the change involve to launch preservation area for the species .
Credit : LI WEIDONG .
[ Hat tip : National Geographic ]
