photo #9230800

Looks like a stuffed animal. Less than 1,000 of them exist on Earth.🐭 And there's nowhere left for them to go. The ili pika - nicknamed the "Magic Rabbit" - is a tiny, teddy bear-faced creature clinging to cliff faces high in China's Tian Shan mountains. Just 8 inches long. Spotted with white patches. So rare that most scientists have never seen one in the wild. For over 20 years, Li Weidong didn’t see one. When he finally photographed it again in 2014, headlines called it the return of one of the world’s rarest animals. Livestock grazing and air pollution are stripping what's left of its food sources below. Its population has crashed nearly 70%. It was only found at 6 of 14 known sites the last time researchers went looking. Scientists remain concerned about climate change and habitat loss, but each new photograph provides hope that this remarkable species still survives in the wild despite the challenges it faces. No major conservation program exists. No international rescue effort. One man - Li Weidong, the scientist who first discovered it - has spent decades trying to get the world to pay attention. So far, the world hasn't. For a species this unknown, sharing this story is an act of conservation. How is the Magic Rabbit not on a single protected species list? 🐭 #DemsUnited #Nature