Edited by Rachel Heung
The Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), previously known as the Siberian Tiger, is one of the largest known wild cats in the world. The tigers are a lighter orange than other tiger subspecies, turning even paler in the winter. As they are mainly found in Siberia and Eastern Russia, they also have a thicker and longer fur coat, a thick mane around their necks, and extra fur on their paws. This is presumably to protect them against the cold. They can also be found along the border in China and North Korea. The political instability caused by the Russian Revolution and the beginning of the Soviet Union forced the Amur Tigers to the brink of extinction. In the 1940s, there were only an estimated 50 individuals in the wild. Luckily, in 1947, after World War 2, Russia imposed a hunting ban on the Amur tigers, offering them full protection. Hunting of the tigers’ prey and the tigers themselves were either banned or restricted. Even after conservation efforts, the number of Amur tigers has been raised to an estimated 500-550 individuals, making them an endangered species. Some live in captivity, where their lifespans are longer than those in the wild (Amur Tiger, n.d.).
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is located in Salt Lake City, and is considered to be one of the top-visited tourist attractions. They opened in 1931, and have over 800 animals, 5 of which are considered to be endangered including the Amur tiger (About Hogle Zoo, n.d.).
One of the ‘senior’ tigers at Hogle Zoo died earlier this year, on the 20th of October, 2021. Cila, the tiger, lived to 18- 3 years above her expected lifespan in the wild. She died due to declining health and old age. Cila was born on April 17th, 2003, and arrived at Hogle Zoo from the Indianapolis Zoo in 2015. She lived a fulfilling life in Hogle Zoo’s ‘Asian Highlands’ habitat (Means, 2021).
A new female Amur tiger, Sasha, moved from Rolling Hills Zoo in Kansas to Utah’s Hogle Zoo on the 29th of November, 2021. She will be open for guests on the 2nd of December, 2021. Though Amur tigers are solitary animals, Sasha was placed next to Nikolai, a male tiger, to help her get used to her new surroundings. The zoo says Sasha may be bred with Nikolai in the future, in an effort to preserve the endangered Amur tigers. Bob Cisneros, the associate director of animal care, says that “[Sasha] is settling in her new habitat and continues to acclimate well.” (Armstrong, 2021).
Experts say that animals in captivity tend to live longer than their counterparts in the wild. “As our quality of animal care improves over time, so does the longevity of our animals,” Bob Cisneros, the associate director of animal care at Utah’s Hogle Zoo said. It makes “age-related issues become all the more apparent.” (Means, 2021).
References
About Hogle Zoo. (n.d.). Utah's Hogle Zoo. https://www.hoglezoo.org/about/
Amur Tiger Facts. (n.d.). Wild Cats Conservation Alliance.
https://conservewildcats.org/resources/amur-tiger-facts/
Armstrong, K. (2021, November 29). New Tiger becomes part of the Hogle Zoo family.
ABC4. https://www.abc4.com/news/new-tiger-becomes-part-of-the-hogle-zoo-family/
Means, S. P. (2021, October 21). Cila, a tiger at Utah's Hogle Zoo, dies at 18. The Salt Lake
Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/10/20/cila-tiger-utahs-hogle/
Meigs, J. (2020, October 20). Brown white and black tiger [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/CBQd3J4C4DI
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