Last April, a photographer managed to do something no person has managed to do in 20 years. He spotted a rare type of animal and his photo of the animal went viral around the world. Ili Pika or “the magic rabbit” as people call him, is one of the rarest and one of the most endangered species in the world. We must mention, the cutest mammal too. The photo that went viral demonstrating Ili Pika could add the magic rabbit to the list of extinct animals!
These species were discovered in 1983, and no one ever saw a sign of the existence of the magic rabbit in 20 years, until last April.
This tiny mammal is paying a price for his popularity last year. Once the evil people found that this cute, little mammal existed, they went to get him.
Many people are interested in keeping Ili Pika as a pet and they’re ready to pay a lot of money to get their hands on the magic rabbit.
“There aren’t many Ili Pikas and people trying to hunt them will only make the situation worse. We’re scared that people will cause Ili Pika to go extinct,” explains conservationist Li Weidong.
Li discovered the Pika, formally known as Ochotona iliensis, in 1983 and named it after his hometown, Ili.
Li also says that he’s trying to convince the Chinese government to make Pika’s habitat a nature reserve so that people couldn’t hunt them anymore.
“If it becomes extinct in front of me, I’ll feel so guilty,” says Li.
They can be found only in Tianshan mountain range in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China and there are less than 1000 left. The mammal, only 20 centimeters long is a solitary animal, lives on sloping bare rock faces and feeds on grasses at high elevations. This tiny Ili Pika is the first one seen in 20 years.