It is truly magical when you watch the world go moggy for a cute animal, and right now we’re in the midst of it because of this little thing:

That’s the Chinese Ili Pika. It hasn’t been seen in over 20 years, and with less than 1 000 estimated to be alive, they are rarer than the panda.

60-year old conservationist Li Weidong has been trying to spot the “magic bunny” for 30 years. He finally managed his quest a few days ago when a pair of ears popped up form behind a rock.

I sat down next to some rocks, and suddenly two bunny ears emerged from the crack of one of the rocks. The little thing was staring at me, blinking at me. I thought it was the most beautiful and bizarre creature I’d ever seen. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Whilst they want to help to conserve the endangered animal, they don’t want to make it too commercial and draw attention to it. Over the years, the ili pika’s natural habitat has decreased by 71% – there home is the Tian Shan mountains in China – due to a growing population of people at the bottom of the mountains.

Many people have written to me to say they want to help me protect the pikas. But more attention also means more danger for them. Ili Pika is an ancient species. It has been around for decades. We cannot let them disappear in front of our eyes.

Well, here’s hoping they don’t become Paris Hilton’s latest pet fad, because then the little guys are screwed.

[Source: The BBC]