l83

It happened at last! Part 6. Barnaul.

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l83

7 days ago • translated from Russian, show original

And so here is the sixth part of my story (and I had wanted to fit it into one post).
One of the places where manuls live in the wild in Russia is the Altai region. In zoos, manul kittens are also called Altai. But our Russian manul named Altai lives in the Republic of Udmurtia (the city of Izhevsk).
If you look at the map of Russia, you will find two regions with similar names. I can’t say for sure, but I’d say Russia has one of the most complicated federal structures. I’m sure there are people here who don’t fully understand it either. So. On the map there is Altai Krai (its capital is Barnaul, and Chip lives here) and the Republic of Altai (this is where manuls live in the wild). The Republic of Altai is mountains and steppes. The Saylyugem National Park is located here, where snow leopards (irbises) and manuls live. And the republic also borders Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan, i.e. countries where manuls also live in the wild.
The Republic of Altai is a tourist destination, so I combined a visit to Chip (https://manulization.ru/manuls/chip.html) in Barnaul with a trip around Altai.

Until January 26, Chip lived in Barnaul with his sister Pepe, who has now become a star of St. Petersburg and is raising 4 children by Shu. Which means our hero is the full brother of Moscow’s Timofey.

Chip is considered very reclusive; catching sight of him is a great stroke of luck. And on August 8, luck was on my side. True, for more than two hours he never once came down from the highest shelf, but through the camera lens I managed to make him out. And the first thing that caught my eye was that he looks a couple of years older than Timofey. I can’t judge his build while he’s walking, but he was sitting on the shelf and looked very massive. Definitely bigger than summer Timofey.
That day there was a celebration at the Barnaul zoo and lots of photo spots like this one, with the words: recreate the photo:

Chip in Barnaul zoo “Lesnaya skazka”

I recreated it too, and I happened to be wearing a gray shirt, so at least in color I did look like a manul

And here is Chip’s little house itself (on the right). Yes, very modest, but there are shelves on the walls. On the left is Pepe’s former enclosure (it’s empty now, hopefully only temporarily)

It has happened! Part 5. Saint Petersburg.

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l83

8 days ago • translated from Russian, show original

Saint Petersburg has several “names” — the Northern Palmyra, the Northern Capital, the Northern Venice. Some people call the city simply Piter. It has also been Petrograd and Leningrad. And it is precisely the zoo in Saint Petersburg that is called the Leningrad Zoo (abbreviated as Lenzoo). This name was kept in honor of the feat of the zoo workers during the blockade years (September 1941 to January 1944).
Saint Petersburg is a “young” city; it was founded and made the capital of the Russian Empire by Peter I in 1703 (Moscow traces its history back to 1147). That is why Namika (https://manulization.ru/manuls/namika.html) has earned the title of empress among manul fans. If we delve once more into Russian history, there were only three empresses: Catherine I (after Peter I’s death), Elizabeth (Peter I’s daughter), and Catherine II the Great. I wonder whom Namika resembles more? Elizabeth loved balls, dressing beautifully, and entertainment. Catherine II (she did not have a drop of Russian blood, and Namika is also a foreigner — she came from the Czech Republic) did a great deal for the country and deserved the addition “the Great” to her name.

A photo of a Pallas's cat, February 1, 2026

Author: l83

It happened! Part 4. Moscow.

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l83

10 days ago • translated from Russian, show original

Moscow admiration for Timosha

Moscow is the capital, which means that the Moscow manul Timofey is the country’s main manul! The son of the legendary Zelenogorsk and the no less legendary Lastochka!
Much ink has been spilled over the phrase “Moscow prince,” which is applied to Timosha. Some say it goes against the rules of the Russian language, while others say that for Timosha anything goes! I am one of those for whom Timofey is the Moscow Prince. It is no secret that in Moscow, before Ivan the Terrible (1530–1584), the throne was held by the Grand Princes of Moscow and All Rus’ (after the unification of the principalities). Ivan IV was first crowned as tsar in 1547. And since the time of Peter I and the proclamation of the Russian Empire (1724), the capital was moved to Saint Petersburg, and rulers were crowned as emperors. Why am I saying this? For me, the phrase “Moscow prince” is a reference to patriarchal, old, pre-Petrine Rus’, when there was still no empire. That is why I really like this form of address, and I use it myself when speaking to him — Prince. It feels so cozy)
My first conscious visit to Timofey took place a year ago (August 25). I had exactly two days after returning from vacation. If he had not granted me an audience on the first day, I would have come on the second. But Timofey was very gracious. And he gave me more than two hours of company. Even a light rain did not dampen Timofey’s spirits — he disappeared for a little while, and I walked around the other animals in my raincoat. As soon as the rain stopped, Timosha came out again. It was very unexpected. After all, back then we all thought he was a recluse. Now, of course, thanks to Pavel (https://manulization.ru/manulover/pell/posts), we know that Timoshenka is a very active manul, with his own rituals for every day and every event.
I also got to see the enclosure being cleaned, but they never brought food while I was there:(

It happened! Part 3. Izhevsk.

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l83

12 days ago • translated from Russian, show original

A trip to Izhevsk to see Altay

Over the past two years, I’ve started traveling very often for one or two days. I choose the train so that the night there and back is spent on the train, and I have one day in the city. And in that mode, the first city for me was Novosibirsk, and then things took off. And now I travel like that not only to see manuls, but also to theaters — active weekends) All right, that’s a digression. Now to the point!
Altay is the younger brother of Miya and Klyon. The son of Karaganda and Markiza. A famous recluse and the owner of a gorgeous house with a BALCONY!
https://manulization.ru/manuls/altay.html

Izhevsk is not located on the Trans-Siberian Railway, so the logistics are not the easiest. And the direct train does not run every day.
November 4, 2025!

I go in and immediately ask the guard where the manul is. And he tells me — over there, but he never comes out. Good heavens! An encouraging start. I walk up and there’s no one there. How can that be :( And then a woman starts admiring him! I ask her — where is he? She says — there, up above, on the balcony! Well of course, he’s not just on the balcony, he’s also hidden behind a little fence there. What a sly one. Completely shut off from people. But there’s nothing to hold against him — he’s not in a house!)))
With my eyesight, of course, it’s very hard for me to examine him in detail without a camera lens. He kept looking through the diamond-shaped gap in the fence. Sometimes he would lift himself up, and you could see the top of his head.

Altay in Izhevsk Zoo (Udmurt Zoo), November 3, 2025

The little house even has windows! And Timofey has no windows!

It happened! Part 2. Krasnoyarsk.

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l83

12 days ago • translated from Russian, show original

The Krasnoyarsk trip

In July of 2025, manul fans learned that Boris (the son of Eva and Zhora) had moved out of his parental home (the large Novosibirsk dormitory) into his own individual enclosure. Now his home became Krasnoyarsk and the Roev Ruchey Flora and Fauna Park. The climate for Boris did not change much. He didn’t leave Siberia; on the contrary, he went even deeper into it)
The zoo staff began posting absolutely mind-blowing photos of Boris on their social media. And when the fattening-up contest started, Boris immediately, even as a newcomer, made himself known as a contender for first place. Such a handsome guy, and not that far from me — I had to go see such a marvelous manul!
On one trip to Krasnoyarsk, you can also drop by Novosibirsk. That’s how I combined these two cities on December 20–22, 2025. The weather in Krasnoyarsk was good — Boris had done his part — only minus 10 degrees. But the next day in Novosibirsk it was already very harsh (in part 1 I wrote about minus 30).
Roev Ruchey is located some distance from the city. I waited until daytime so that Borya would wake up and get ready to wait for food. 
The ceremonial moment: I come closer — Boris is on his favorite shelf! It allows him to keep the entire enclosure under control and even the Yenisei River, which is nearby. Boris thoroughly prepared for his first Krasnoyarsk winter — the shape of a ball and a thick coat were already with him.

Boris in Royev Ruchey

Well hello there, hand over the meat. How can visitors not be allowed to feed the animals? Go give it to my keepers; let them check it and hand it over to me)

It happened! Part 1. Novosibirsk.

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l83

13 days ago • translated from Russian, show original

On August 8 of this year, what I could not have imagined two years ago finally happened — I visited every zoo with manuls in Russia.
Novosibirsk, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Izhevsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Barnaul.

How it all began

Most likely, my first “encounter” with manuls was in 2013, when in winter I went to the Moscow Zoo and, it seems, there lay a manul, curled up into a fluffy ball. I never saw its face.
Then there was a long break; the manul theme passed me by. And then suddenly — a manul is born at the Leningrad Zoo (2023). Photos of little Shu swept across the entire progressive internet. And I just happened to be in Saint Petersburg in August. After 16 hours, already quite tired, I went there, and I was lucky. Little Shu was very active, constantly running up to the fence, but his mother quickly put him in his place. That was my first truly conscious manul-watching. But the breakthrough came in 2023 (experts may correct me), when the video about Bol and Polly titled “When Your Wife Is in a Bad Mood” went viral in my news feed and absolutely refused to disappear (I don’t know whether the link will appear, but I think many people know and love this video).

I marveled at how fierce Bol’s little face looked; apparently, he was getting the worst of it from his wife. Now I know how organic it all was). My feed was now full of all kinds of manuls. I learned that there were lots of them in Novosibirsk. And so in 2024 came the first videos of manul kittens. That year, Lolo and Eva had babies. And I made a decision that fit me in absolutely no way whatsoever — to go to Novosibirsk! To see such an abundance of manuls with my own eyes. So September 2024 can be considered the beginning of my manul pilgrimage.

Shu’s successful hunt!

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l83

1 month ago • translated from Russian, show original

Timofey isn’t the only one famous for hunting quail. Today Shu figured out a new toy and fished prey out of it. At first I thought it was just a new toy. Shu was fussing around it, and then I saw feathers appear from the hollow cylinder, and then the whole appetizing little body. And this was already the second quail for lunch!

Shu in Leningrad zoo, July 26, 2026

Careful examination of the new toy