Hi I'm alive yay ^_^
Why underrated manul have a popular photo? for example buddy 🥹
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Opel Zoo. Fay’s mystery is solved!
This is a continuation of a long story. In short: we haven’t seen Fay since the beginning of the year, and a month ago the staff said she had a minor injury and was coming out only rarely.
We visited Opel Zoo today. It was immediately obvious, both by sight and by sound, that construction was underway in one corner of the zoo. The posters say that rhinos will be living there in early 2028. That’s far from the manuls. But the zoo lies in a valley between two hills; the construction is on one slope, while the manuls live on the opposite slope. Formally, as the crow flies, the distance is great, but in practice there is a clear line of sight between them, and the manuls can hear the sounds of construction.
The small trees in the manuls’ enclosure were trimmed, and there is now more open space. One of the shelters was also moved from the large enclosure to the small one. Before, there were 4 shelters in the large enclosure and 1 in the small one. Now there are 3 and 2. Though for some reason the shelter was placed exactly where the manuls sometimes use the toilet. But Batu sometimes sits on the roof of that shelter, apparently approving of the rearrangement.
At the neighbor’s enclosure, the European wildcat’s, a small area was fenced off with netting (about 2*3 meters). Maybe someone will be brought there temporarily during the breeding season (dreamily...)
Batu was active all day (with breaks for sleep, of course)
Can you guess who I sketched? 😽
The answer was Nar☀️
Thanks so much for looking. 🫶🏻✨
Clarification on the Mimi's daughter needed
So could anyone clarify if the daughter of Mimi on the photo below (which I personally named Princessa 2.0) was officialy named Saimi? In the last post the two daughters were referred to as "stripey" and "big" girls so I wanted to make sure. Also could anyone advise on the state of her ear? Is there something wrong with it or is it just her beautiful trademark?
Shu’s successful hunt!
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
A beautiful cat in your feed, $USER
Timofey in Moscow zoo, July 25, 2026
It’s impossible not to share such a handsome long manul, Timofey.
News about the minuls from Brno
and new stunning photos!
Friends, recently at the Brno Zoo the minuls had a veterinary checkup, during which the kittens’ sex was determined. You’ll be surprised, but not all of them turned out to be boys!🤭 Three kittens are girls, and two are boys.
Alas, one of the kittens did not survive😥 To this day, one of the main problems in keeping manuls in captivity remains the high mortality rate among kittens.
We wish the fluffy Czech five to grow up healthy and strong and become big and very serious manuls! And now let’s admire the new delightful photos of the manul kittens shared with us by Jan Máca.
A photo of a Pallas's cat, July 2026
The minuls have already grown and are reaching upward!
Zinka for Timofey
What do you think, could Nano be brought from Armenia to Timosha as a wife? Or take one from the wild near Novosibirsk; at the Novosibirsk zoo they’ll determine the sex and understand whether she’s a suitable match or not
Alani, Aysen and the minuls from Košice
Last week, on the 19th of July, I decided to visit Košice Zoo in hopes of meeting the manuls and minuls residing there. Thankfully, my journey was a success!
Their enclosure was nice and spacious. The kids were beside their mom in one part, while their father was in a seperate part. The cages were connected by a bridge, but Aysen's part was closed off, so the minuls couldn't go in there, but they had a little more space to roam and walk around.
When I got there, the minuls were playing energetically, as they should. One of them was a little more shy - it went up to cuddle with Alani, and came down only when I moved a little further away. I managed to get some pictures though!😸
News of the day
Timofey has come out
Timofey in Moscow zoo, July 25, 2026
Timofey is out and about, actively strolling and enjoying the cool day.
Tiny work buddy!
A photo of a Pallas's cat, July 26, 2026
manulization bug😺
sometimes when I go into manulization, it can glitch in such a funny way😄 has this happened to anyone?
Mimi's minuls have names!
Today, Mimi's children, three beautiful babies, had their names revealed by Korkeasaari, in this instagram post.
The stripey girl's name is Saimi, which is an old Finnish name.
The stripy boy's name is Sten, which means "stone" in Swedish.
And the big girl is Saga, which, of course, means a story or legend.
This post was edited, to correct the names of the girls, as the zoo definitively stated which is which.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DbIqp2FigzH
Hunting Quail
Timofey is a skilled hunter
Today, Saturday, July 25, Timofey hunted quail.
Timofey in Moscow zoo, July 25, 2026
A seasoned hunter prepares carefully for a momentous event. He goes over the grounds, checks whether everything is in place and ready for the hunt.
What manul is this?
A photo of a Pallas's cat in Novosibirsk Zoo
Last August I was at the Novosibirsk Zoo and met this wonder; I only recently found this photo in my gallery and want to ask: what is this manul’s name? Thanks in advance!
Bol art!!
the manul king
sorry for dont upload these arts for a while
Nanó, July 24, 2026
On Tuesday 14th July I took a drive over to see how Bat-Erdene, Altai and Khutga are settling in! They did not disappoint!
All asleep when I first arrived (another very warm morning) but that soon changed (for two of them, at least!). I had a very lucky catch when a keeper came to clean them out, offer chicks and...drum roll....give them a ball pit to play with! Hilarity ensued!
I'm pleased to say they all seem to be doing great, and now with some help I am a little better at identifying them - Bat seems to be the most confident of the trio, always playing hide and seek with me around the enclosure and keeping his eye on me, and had no fear of the keeper entering.
Bat-Erdene in The Lakeland Wildlife Oasis, July 14, 2026
Altai is second, he had a long bath inside his hut but then did decide to come out and investigate lunch, then retreated again for another nap.