Pallas Pals Fundraiser: Ending soon + Insight into donation usage.

more_horiz

manoolpaggas

12 hours ago

Hi everyone,

Our campaign to raise funds for RZSS of Edinburgh Zoo is drawing to a close soon (October 11th).

https://www.justgiving.com/page/pallas-pals-2026

I am happy to say that we surpassed all our initial goals of up to £2,000 reaching well beyond that and into our stretch goal of £4,000.

Our campaign ends on October 11th; as a reminder if you wish to support, you can donate directly, or purchase Manul stickers through: https://ko-fi.com/s/102cc760b8

Funds raised from sticker purchases will also go towards the fundraiser.

The top donor receives 1 monochrome traditional drawing of their Pallas's Cat of choice by Laura (https://www.instagram.com/b.erci). Drawn with graphite pencils on A5 sized paper. Delivery by end of November 2026. Please include a way of contacting you (email preferred) when you make your donation if you intend to claim this.

Apologies if some of this is repetition to previous posts, just want to ensure visibility for all.

But onto the main topic of this post: As we have surpassed £4,000, here is some of what the funds may be used for; with a goal of conserving wild Manuls.

"£4,000 could fund almost half of a PICA Small Grant Programme (SGP) conservation grant. Each year, these grants support local conservationists and researchers working on projects dedicated to protecting the endangered Pallas's cat across its range. Individual grants can be worth up to €10,000/£8000, providing vital funding for projects that typically run for around a year. This support enables practical, on-the-ground conservation action, from research and population monitoring to community engagement and habitat protection, depending on the needs of the species in each country.

The PICA Small Grant Programme is one of our most successful and far-reaching conservation initiatives. By providing seed funding where resources and conservation capacity are limited, it has helped catalyse local efforts to protect Pallas's cats in regions where little or no research or conservation work previously existed. These grants empower local experts to develop long-term solutions and deliver meaningful conservation impact for Pallas’s cats."

For those less familiar, PICA (not to be confused with the delicious Pika which Manuls enjoy eating) are the Pallas’s Cat International Conservation Alliance. As per their website: "Currently our main focus is to advance conservation action for the Pallas’s cat and to build capacity through implementation of the Pallas’s Cat Conservation Strategy and by supporting the global network of the Manul Working Group."

They do a lot of great, practical field work and research into Manuls, which can go a long way to bettering our understanding of Manuls and towards conserving their wild populations. They have done field projects across numerous countries, including Kazakhstan, Iran, and Pakistan. For those interested, please check out their website: https://pallascats.org/field-projects/

Thank you very much for all who donated or shared the fundraiser, it is greatly appreciated.

Big thank you to Roman for allowing us to share, as well as creating this beautiful website.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the team.