Meet China’s Cute and Rare Ili Pika, Threatened to Extinction

Meet China’s cute and rare Ili pika, threatened to extinction. Scientists have rediscovered a very rare species of endangered animal known as the Ili pika (Ochotona iliensis) in the mountainous parts of northwestern China.

Li Weidong, a scientist at Xinjiang Institute for Ecology and Geography and the discoverer of the animal, first spotted the Ili pika in 1983 in the Tian Shan Mountains. He gave the name Ili, the same name as his hometown.

Upon its discovery, no one had an idea what the animal was. In more than 20 years of existence, the pika has successfully eluded scientists and researchers. The animal only made a very rare appearance and only a few have seen it since its accidental discovery in 1983.

Even though the ili pika’s whereabouts have become known, scientists have failed to take photographs of it due to its elusive nature. In 1992 and the following decade after that, studies on the ili pika came to a halt.

However, Li and a team of researchers conducted a fresh study on the mysterious animal in 2002 and 2003. The research on ili pika was published in 2005 with recommendations on including the animal on the endangered species list.

In July 2014, 20 volunteers joined Li in his search for the pika. On the second day of their trip, the pika finally made an appearance, and at last, photographs of the “magic rabbit” have been taken.

Li and his team concluded that the animal’s population has declined over the years and there are only less than 1,000 pikas alive today. According to him, the changes brought about by global warming has affected the animal’s habitat, which is likely a factor for its population decline. "If it becomes extinct in front of me, I'll feel so guilty,” he said.

Despite being listed in the endangered species, no intensive efforts were done to save the ili pika. With the rediscovery of the adorable and mysterious creature, Li only hopes “that an organization will have people study and protect the Ili Pika.”

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