A Second Male Pallas Cat Is Now At Utah’s Hoggle Zoo

Hoggle Zoo welcomes a new Pallas Cat this Spring who has family ties.  

Hoggle Zoo in Northern Utah added a new male Pallas Cat, Phyllaris or Phil for short, on Wednesday, April 23. The zoo announced that Phil will be in the Asian Highlands part of the zoo for visitors to see.  

Phil is a five-year-old male Pallas cat from Birmingham Zoo in Alabama, the press release said. He is the grandson of a former breeding pair at Hogle Zoo. One of the cats that the breeding pair had went to Birmingham Zoo and sired Phil. Now, he has made his way back to Utah.  

He is also a second cousin to Kaarina, a female Pallas cat at Hoggle zoo who is behind the scenes right now in the breeding program.  

Now that Phil has come to Hoggle zoo, there is officially a “grump” of Pallas cats which is the term coined by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Pallas’ Cap Species Survival Plan. Pallas cats are notoriously grumpy so the term “grump” for a group of Pallas cats its perfect.  

Though there are three Pallas cats at Hoggle zoo, you’ll only be able to see Phil for now since Kaarina, the female Pallas cat and Khir, a seven-year-old male Pallas cat are “behind the scenes on breeding recommendations”.  

However, Phil is visible in the Asian Highlands area and is an ambassador for his species which is currently under threat because of Pallas cats' small population in the wild. Pallas cats are losing their habitats at an alarming rate and seeing Phil at Hoggle zoo is a great way to learn more about and support the species.