How to make your boring business trip feel blessed? Add a little detour to visit the manuls at your destination!
I decided to fly to Salt Lake City one day early before my conference so I could visit the manuls at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. I always wanted to visit Hogle Zoo because it is home to some legendary manuls, including Haru and Petenka.
Yesterday was the 10th birthday of Batu, the Pallas's cat at Prospect Park Zoo. I specifically drove to Brooklyn to visit the fluffy birthday star. But the biggest surprise was getting to see Batu's fluffy wife, Sarnai, who is rarely spotted — what a beautifully delicate-faced cat she is!
It all came together thanks to the zoo's Pallas's cat keeper, Ashley — whose name I actually learned from the HBO documentary series The Zoo, Season 3, Episode 9: "Grumpy Cat's New Digs," which introduced Batu and Sarnai and showcased the construction of their new exhibit. I was lucky enough to run into her while I was watching the cats, and I got to ask her about how both cats are doing. Their breeding season this year just wrapped up, and the breeding process has not been very successful. These two have been a breeding pair for many years. A few years ago they had a kitten that died young, and later a mass was found in Sarnai's uterus. Ashley mentioned that the zoo has already collected semen from Batu, so artificial insemination is an option if needed in the future — and it turns out the birthday boy Batu actually has high-quality Pallas's cat sperm!
