The Ili Pika, a rabbit-like creature, has been spotted after a long time frame of 20 years. The cute animal is on the endangered species list and very few of these creatures exist today.



It was in 1983 that Weidong Li a conservationist first sighted this animal and the name Ili was coined after Li’s hometown. The Ili Pika (official name Ochotona iliensis) is so rare that it took him nearly 20 years to spot it once again. Li saw the animal in the Tianshian mountains in north-western China.



The numbers of this animal are rapidly dwindling. Currently, less than 1000 of these animals can be found and the numbers have reduced by 70% since 1983.

“I feel bad to see the decline in numbers. I discovered this creature and it would be terrible if it becomes extinct,” said Li.



Scientists think that the Ili Pika is related to the rabbit but not much is known about this magical animal.

According to Li, their dwindling population could be on account of global warming.



Unfortunately, there is no institution devoted to conducting research about these lovely creatures. Steps towards conservation too are not in place. But Li has devoted his life to studying these creatures and does everything he can to spread awareness about them.

He is optimistic that conservation efforts will get a boost with the photographs from the new sighting.