What is your favorite manul pair?
I decided to write my first post in honor of Family, Love, and Fidelity Day. It is celebrated in Russia today; yesterday in Japan was Tanabata, also a holiday for lovers, and even though February 14 is still far away, I’m going to say it anyway)
Which manuls deserve to be on Valentine’s cards? The Siberians are great, but among them it’s hard to single out the best pair. They are more like dancing the quadrille — a dance in which partners are meant to be swapped. And that makes sense: if the other manuls in other zoos had a choice, they would behave the same way. And it’s good for genetic diversity.
Maybe the St. Petersburg Sven and Namika are the standard of love that doesn’t fade with the years? Or the younger generation in the form of Shu and Pepe?
In Japan, at different times, the flagships of love were Lev and Shar, Klen and Primula, Bor and Polly, and now Nar and Az.
Or maybe you prefer the newcomers from Yerevan: the red-red-freckled Mano and Nano? Let’s see how they do!
Or do the incredibly sensual shots of Princess and Spay move you to squeals and purring? Spay is, of course, a handsome Frenchman, but he got such a star of a girl that, sorry, buddy, but now you’re just “Princess’s husband.”
And what about the incredible prima Mimi and her phlegmatic, calm husband Arkas, who is still the best, the only one, and the one for her?
The happily married Namu and Atlan?
Akiko, who finally waited for his Duchess.
And what is your favorite manul pair?
Comments 45
to be honest, one of my favorites its: grusha and the chicken, gorsk and mia and prinsessa and spy
Princess and Spy, of course.
Prinsessa and Spay, they're so incredibly sweet to each other!
Ula and Manuel, they're not as much for overt displays of affection, but when they are together, it's pretty clear they adore each other. Especially Manuel loves protecting Ula.
Bol and Polly, and Lev and Shal will always stay with me, as well.
Princessa and Spay are so adorable together, but I also love Az and Nar! They are the first manul couple I ever heard about.
My favourite Pallas's cat couple is Bor and Polly. It was actually through stumbling upon their clips online that I first got acquainted with Japan's resident manuls, which then sparked my curiosity and led me to discover plenty more across other regions. I'm equally fond of Klyon and Primula. Their three offspring are breathtaking, each one more exquisite than the last.
I think Bol and Polly will always be peak for me. 💚💔
Bor and Polly, and Nar and Az.
Princess and Spy are simply an incredibly tender pair💘
Bol and Polly are, for me, probably the most legendary and daring couple❤️🩹
But still, my current favorites are Nar and Az; I even made a cover with them😍
Оксана, Omg that's fantastic!!
Oh but we simply must also mention dear Thomas and Loesje!
The favorites, without a doubt, are Princess and Spay. The most attentive and tender manuls to each other that I have ever seen.
Bor and Polly appealed to me for their contrast. He is a stern and calm samurai; she is an eternally dissatisfied, expressive little bitch. And yet they lived together all year round and passed away just a month apart...
I’m waiting for kittens from the young exotic beauties Mano and Nano. I think they’ll be superstars among manulovers!
Tigromanulya (princess) and Spy — so tender and warm
and Sven and Namika — such a mature, unique pair, which I feel just like among grown-up people
Bol and Polly ❤️
mnamosyna (rachael), Thank you 💘 I really like them💖
Анна, What a fantastic set of photos. I'm sobbing uncontrollably.
bayar and lalah are my favourite
Oh, what a great post and what an interesting question! Thank you, Helga!
My answer is not very original: for me, the most fantastic, absolutely amazing, and astonishing pair was Bol and Polly❤️ It seems to me that they didn’t just live together, but were truly strongly attached to each other — which, you’ll agree, is surprising for animals that lead a solitary life.
This year’s discovery for me, as for many manulovers, was the pair Princess and Spy!
I also think that Az and Nar were a very close pair when they lived together. Watching them sit side by side on the same rock was incredibly sweet 🥰
Also, judging by the few photos available, Norbu and Poes had a very warm and close relationship... Although they are brother and sister, we still don’t have an answer as to why they were ever paired up 🤓
I would also like to mention the pair Namuu and Atlan. Here’s an amazing fact: Atlan is not separated from Namuu even when she has kittens! That is truly very unusual and impressive, because such behavior is a great rarity and generally not characteristic of this species at all!
And the same surprise awaits you at Tierpark Berlin: there Chengdu also always lives together with Charu, even when they have offspring. According to the keepers, Chengdu has never shown aggression toward the kittens, so they are completely calm about it. It seems to me this is a very eloquent sign that the pair has truly formed and the animals trust each other❤️
Among the Novosibirsk quadrillers, my favorite pair was Zelya and Miya. Miya, though a troublesome (crossed out) difficult lady, looked at Zelenogorsk with reverence😻 And in their last mating season, she often went to visit him on her own and was the first to invite him on dates 💘
Анна, What moments! Just wow! Thank you, Anya 😍
Polly, zelenogorsk,tashi, prinsessa,az and Charu! Charu is underrated manul
It’s hard for me to answer, since I only recently joined you. But I really liked the video with Mia and Zhora, filmed by Roman. And in person, the St. Petersburg kitties also melted my heart: Sven and Namika, and Shu and Pepe.
Love, warmth, and mutual affection to everyone! ❤️
Оксана, What beauty!
Оксана, Wow! The case turned out so cool!!🔥 Az is such a little sly one 😏
Анна, What a collection! My heart skipped a beat!
I'd say my favorite are Bor and Polly, it much summarizes my own relationship. My girlfriend is quite the fiesty and expressive type and I often sit on my favorite spot on the couch, like bor with his stump. Her bullying is especially prominent when i lose a game with her
Vika Malyshkoverified_filled ,
Wow, it really is unexpected that Chengdu and Atlan don’t part with their mates! I recently learned that, despite their typical cat-like nature, manuls are closer not to domestic cats, forest cats, reed cats, and the like, but to leopards. And among leopards, fathers are so-so, since they see cubs as potential prey.
So manuls really are surprising!
And from the photos, I gathered that Mano and Nano also get along quite well in the same enclosure.
For me, the revelation of the year was the pair Princess and Spay. I’m absolutely obsessed with these chill hippie cuties! I really regret that we didn’t go to Prague in the spring 😻 I wouldn’t have been able to tear myself away from the enclosure 😹
But my undisputed favorite is Zelya and his women! 😹 His love affairs and pleasures were something else! Fur everywhere! Such passion!
What really stayed with me from the historical stories was the tale of the pair from the Breeding Center, who always lived together and even raised kittens jointly!
Елена Федорова, I watched Namiku and Sven during the mating season today — it was something else. He went to her. She moved away from him. She went to him. He into the little house. And the way he looked up at her from the lower shelf. And she was impregnable.
l83, Artists!
The Mariinsky can take a break 😸
l83, Pallas's cats have this kind of flirting, but the leather ones just don't get it. So Shu and Pepe missed it too — all the news was "Shu isn't getting along with her friend", "Pepe kicked Shu out of the house" — but it was actually a passionate romance between them😊
anna_yu, And the hammock too, that was the very best)
Suddenly, while driving Pepe out of the hammock, Shunya accidentally caused conception)
Roman Paulovverified_filled ,
Reading your comment, I thought that besides all kinds of closed breeding centers, there is also the wild... And how little we know about the free life of manuls, and how many stories there could be there...
Polik and Bolik, of course
helga ingvar, The Russian Wikipedia says that manuls belong either to the domestic cat clade or to the leopard clade, depending on how you look at it. Only with the leopard, they got it wrong — it has nothing to do with this at all. This is the clade of eastern (Asian) cats (Prionailurus). The main species of this genus is the Bengal cat (the leopard cat). In English, leopard cat.
Оксана, How lovely! I especially like Az's facial expression😁
Nebelbergen, Thank you for the explanation!
Maeko Ushiro, I specially selected this photo😁😁😁
Definitely Bol & Polly 🥰 They're my idols for sure 🫶
I really like the pair Az and Nar, such sweet, lovely manuls, the kittens are adorable!
Adel and Zhorochka! Now there’s a truly unique pair!!! Absolutely made for each other.
Klyon and Primula.
Last December, We were able to watch Klyon and Primula living together for only a few days.
It was abundantly clear Klyon loved Primula.
schwentine, What stunning photos!
I also adore Klyon and Primula, both together and separately.
Just leaving this here
3rd place: Nar and Az, they are funny and a little crazy.
2nd place: Prinsessa and Spay, they are so gentle to each other.
1st place: Bol and Polly, I think they are and will be the most iconic couple for me. Bol's angry and Polly's cute face are unforgettable.
Анна, These are absolutely amazing pictures!