Miller Park Zoo's female Pallas's cat met her perfect match this week.
The male Pallas's cat traveled from the Czech Republic to start a family at the Bloomington zoo. This match makes Miller Park Zoo's first breeding pair of Pallas's cat.
Zoo Superintendent Jay Tetzloff said breeding programs play a major role in the zoo's mission, and contributes to the conservation efforts of the American Species Survival Plan.
“Being able to import an animal is significant for our conservation mission and important for the Pallas’s cat to have long-term success,” Tetzloff said.
The Pallas's cat is listed as near threatened globally.
Tetzloff said importing animals maintains genetic diversity in breeding.
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