Name for the Pallas’ cat at the Ranua Wildlife Park

The Pallas’ Cat (manul), arrived to the Ranua Wildlife Park in June, has finally gotten its favourite name. Over 4 861 name suggestions arrived for the competition.

As expected, the most favourite name suggestion was Manu. The name was proposed 536 times, most obviously in honour of the former president of Finland, Mauno Koivisto, as Manu, was his nick-name.

The manul’s outer appearance, with its long, dense fur, inspired many a person suggesting names. The most favourite were Örmy, Mörri, Yrmy, Rölli and Mörkö.

Finally, the name selected for the Pallas’ cat, was Mortti, as, according to the animal attendants, the name describes awfully well the male cat -like character of the manul. The requirements for the name were that it would be short and pithy, starting with the letter m. The name Mortti was suggested 5 times, and therefore, we cast lots for the main prize. Taru Kivinen from Pori won the main prize. Taru Kivinen, with her family, will have the chance to come and stay overnight at the new Arctic Fox glass-igloos at the Ranua Wildlife Park, at the same time, also visiting the park and seeing the daily life of the polar bear family. Other people suggesting the winner name will be remembered with family gift-cards of the Wildlife Park.

In honour of the new name, Mortti-manul will offer Sisu -polar bear chocolates for the first one hundred visitors at the Ranua Wildlife Park on Saturday.

Pallas’s Cat

Pallas’s cats are small thick-furred felines endemic to central Asia. They can be found on the rocky steppes and semi-arid desert areas from western Iran to western China. Pallas’s cats are not fast runners. Instead of chasing they stalk their pray relying on their camouflage. Pikas are Pallas’s cats’ main pray but they also eat other rodents, birds and insects.
Pallas’s cats are solitary. A male’s homerange can be as large as 98km2. The female pallas’s cat’s heat lasts only 26 to 42 hours, so they are in a hurry to find a partner when the time is right. Female finds a sheltered cave to give birth to a litter of two to six kittens. The kittens are blind and helpless when they are born, but already at 4 months they are ready to hunt with their mother.