Also known as the ‘magic rabbit’, the Ili pika has been spotted for the first time in 20 years (Picture: Li Weidong)

We know. It’s basically a cross between a teddy bear and a cuddly bunny. And it’s adorable.

This extremely rare mammal is called an Ili pika and has been spotted for the first time in 20 years.

Measuring eight inches from button nose to furry tail, the rabbit relative goes by the nickname ‘magic rabbit’ and is so rare most people don’t even know it exists.

With only around 1,000 of the little guys believed to be left in their natural habitat – the Tianshan mountain range in the Xinjiang area of northwestern China – they are also one of the world’s most endangered animals.




More endangered in fact – and possibly even cuter – than the panda.

This may just be the cutest animal in existence (Picture: Li Weidong)

The Ili pika was discovered in 1983 by conservationist Li Weidong, who named the small mammal after his hometown Ili.

At that time, Li estimated there were around 2,900 of the magic rabbits living in the Chinese mountain ranges.

Last July, the conservationist returned and managed to photograph the lesser-spotted pika for the first time since the early 1990s.

They seek him here….(Picture: Li Weidong)

He believes the effects of global warming and disease may have caused its numbers to decline by almost 70 per cent since its discovery. They now number less than 1,000.

With no official organisation or team dedicated to studying or protecting the mammal, Li is worried for its survival.

‘If it becomes extinct in front of me, I’ll feel so guilty,’ he told CNN.

Let’s take a closer pika (Picture: Li Weidong)

There’s only one thing for it: #SaveTheMagicRabbit

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