The Asian Highlands exhibit depicts a small Himalayan village nestled in the mountains of the continent of Asia. Here, guests will get a spectacular view of the animals that are native to this area such as Snow Leopards, Amur Tigers, Amur Leopards, and Chinese red pandas.
Visiting the zoo in the fall or winter? Asian Highlands is a must-see exhibit to see these resident animals in colder temperatures. They enjoy the snow and the cold because of how similar Utah’s winter climate is to their native environment of the Himalayas.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo opened Asian Highlands in 2006 after the old Feline Building was renovated. In 2018, the exhibit was expanded to house Red Pandas.
Range:
The range of the Amur leopard previously encompassed the Amur River basin and the mountains of northeastern China and the Korean peninsula. Today, it survives only in one isolated population in the Russian Far East, although there may be a few individuals in the Jilin Province of northeast China.
Habitat:
Temperate woodlands and forests
Characteristics:
Every leopard has a unique pattern of spots. The Amur leopard has adapted to the cool climate by having thick fur which grows up to 3 inches long in winter. Their tongue has tiny rasps or hooks, called denticles, which are used to scrape the meat off of the bones of their prey.
Behavior:
Leopards are usually associated with grasslands of Africa and Asia, but the Amur subspecies is an exception. Amur leopards have adapted to cold climate, and thus, are found in the temperate, broadleaf, and mixed forests of the Russian Far East, which are characterized by harsh winters.
Reproduction:
Females first breed at an age of 3-4 years. After a gestation period of around 12 weeks, cubs are born in litters of 1-4 individuals, with an average litter size of just over 2. The cubs stay with their mother for up to two years before becoming fully independent. Amur leopards in zoos show some evidence of breeding seasonality with a peak in births in late spring/early summer.
Interesting Facts:
Their long, spotted coats keep the Amur leopards warm in the cold weather, and their long legs are an adaptation for walking through snow. They can reach speeds of 36 miles per hour for short distances and leap 19 feet horizontally and 10 feet vertically. These nocturnal, solitary cats are excellent climbers. In fact, they often drag their prey up into trees to protect it from other animals like the Amur tiger.
Conservation:
This is one of the most endangered cat species in the world, with fewer than 70 left in the wild. This is due to loss of habitat from logging and uncontrolled burns (80 percent of their habitat disappeared between 1970-1983), decline of prey species, and poaching and hunting for their pelts and bones (the bones are valued in traditional Asian medicine).
Range:
Far eastern Russia and northeast China.
Habitat:
Snow-covered coniferous and deciduous forests.
Characteristics:
The background color of their coat is pale-orange to rust-brown. The coat is overlaid with dark brown or black transverse stripes: forehead, cheeks, and legs are striped, and the tail is ringed. The coat is thick and shaggy, with the hair around the face longer than the rest of the body, forming a distinct cuff on the males.
Behavior:
The tiger is a solitary hunter, concealing itself in the undergrowth at night or twilight to ambush prey. It does not have stamina for long runs, and kills its prey by using its canines to bite the throat or neck. It will hide its kill under leaves or dirt, or even submerge it in water. Tigers often lie in long grass or caves, and will escape the heat of the day resting in a pool of water. They are excellent swimmers.
Reproduction:
Male and Female Amur tigers will produce a litter approximately every three years. 3 to 4 cubs are born after a gestation of 102-113 days. They are born with their eyes closed, weighing 2-3 pounds, with the distinctive tiger markings. The cubs will remain with the mother for about 2-2 1/2 years.
Interesting Facts:
White tigers are never found in the Amur subspecies. Only the bengal (Indian) subspecies carries the mutated recessive gene that produces the white coat.
Range:
Asia – from southern Himalayas westward through Pakistan and north to the Russian mountain ranges.
Habitat:
Snow Leopards live at an elevation of 9,800 feet to 18,000 feet in the winter, and as low as 2,000 feet elevation in the summer. They live in areas with juniper bushes and spruce and birch forests on mountain slopes.
Characteristics:
The coat is dense and long. It is a pale gray with black spots arranged in open rings or rosettes. The ears are small and white with black edges; dark at the bases. Its head is smaller than a leopard’s, and the body looks longer in relation to the head. Their feet are broad and thickly furred over the pads, acting as snow shoes.
Behavior:
Snow Leopards are solitary, very elusive and generally active at dawn and dusk. If game becomes scarce, it may travel great distances in search of it. It is a superb jumper, making leaps of up to 20 feet from a standstill. Vocalizations range from yowls, hissing and growls to rare roars. Loud, territorial calls can travel over long distances.
Reproduction:
Mating occurs in late winter or early spring. Gestation is 90-100 days with usually 2-4 cubs in a litter. The young are born in spring, remaining with the mother until the end of the first winter.
Conservation:
Snow Leopards are highly endangered. An estimated 3,500-7,000 left in the wild, with approximately 600-700 in zoos that are working to increase these populations.
Habitat:
Desert and rocky mountain regions living at altitudes up to 10,000 feet.
Behavior:
Pallas’ Cats are most active at dawn and dusk, and are solitary except during mating season or when a mother is caring for her kittens. Pallas’ cats den in small caves and cracks and in the abandoned burrows of marmots, foxes and badgers. They are adapted for life in cold climates where temperatures may reach lows of minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Their extremely thick and heavy coats and long bushy tails help them combat the cold.
Reproduction:
Gestation lasts approximately 65-75 days and produce 1-8 young.
Interesting Facts:
Pallas’ cats are hunted for their pelts in parts of their natural range. Currently, one of the biggest threats to their survival is the poisoning of their main food source, pika. These small rabbit-like animals are considered pests and competitors with livestock grazing. Pallas’ cats are losing their prey sources as well as consuming the poisoned prey.
Range:
Native to the mountainous forests of China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar, red pandas belong to their own family, Ailuridae. They are divided into two species: Ailurus fulgens fulgens (Himalayan red pandas) and Ailurus fulgens styani (Chinese red pandas). They live at elevation ranging from 4,800-13,000 feet high.
Habitat:
Chinese red pandas are well-equipped for life in Utah – they tend to live in colder climates and have larger bodies and longer fur to help keep them warm. Red pandas live in rainy, high-altitude temperate forests and tropical forests. The forest must have a bamboo understory for it to survive due to the fact that 80-95% of their diet consists of bamboo.
Characteristics:
The light face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can have distinctive markings. Their long, bushy tails with six alternating transverse ochre rings provide balance and excellent camouflage against their habitat of moss- and lichen-covered trees. Their fur serves as thermal insulation on snow-covered or icy surfaces.
The red panda has strong, curved and sharp semi-retractile claws standing inward for grasping narrow tree branches, leaves, and fruit. Like the giant panda, it has a “false thumb” which is an extension of the wrist bone.
Behavior:
The red panda is territorial and is solitary except during mating season. It has been reported to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, sleeping on tree branches or in tree hollows during the day and increasing its activity in the late afternoon and early evening hours. It sleeps stretched out on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot, and curled up with its tail over the face when it is cold.
Reproduction:
Red Panda adults rarely interact in the wild except to mate. Both sexes may mate with more than one partner during the mating season from mid-January to early March. After a gestation period of 112 to 158 days, the female gives birth in mid-June to late July to 1-4 cubs.
Interesting Facts:
Red pandas were discovered and named before giant pandas. Red pandas are not related to the giant panda. Their closest living relative is the raccoon, however red pandas are classified in their own family.
Conservation:
Worldwide population estimates range from fewer than 2,500 to between 16,000 and 20,000 individuals. The red panda is protected in all range countries, and hunting is illegal. Beyond this, conservation efforts are highly variable between countries.
The markhor is a unique species of goat found in the mountains of Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. They inhabit upper elevations, with vegetation as their food source. They are skilled climbers and will scale steep rocky terrain to escape predators such as snow leopards and wolves.
Markhors survive on the steep arid hillsides of the Himalayan Mountains in Central Asia, including the countries of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. In the summer months, they can be found as high as 13,000 feet above sea level, foraging on grasses; in the winter, they avoid deep snow.
Markhors are the largest of the wild goat species. They have broad hooves and striking spiral horns that can grow to 5 feet long in mature males; female horns are smaller, around 2 feet. The markhor’s coat is reddish gray with a dark stripe running the length of its back. Males have thick, long beards, manes and tufts of hair on their legs, while females may only have thin, short beards.
Both male and female markhors have tightly curled, corkscrew-like horns. They start close together at their heads and spread outwards at the tips.
Female markhors live in herds while males only join herds during the breeding season. Markhors are most active during the early morning and late afternoon. Their wide hooves help them maintain stable footing when climbing their mountainous habitat. During the warm spring and summer months, they migrate to higher altitudes on the mountains. During the late fall, they descend to lower altitudes to graze on more plentiful vegetation at the tree line.
Markhor populations have been steadily declining over the past 40 years. Today, only about 2,500 of these animals remain in the Western Himalayas. Markhors’ distinctive horns are a big part of their downfall: they are prized both among trophy hunters and for use in Asian medicine. In the summer, markhors live high up in the mountains in places that are difficult for people to reach. During the winter months, when these animals move to lower elevations in search of food, they are heavily hunted by humans.
Born on June 4, 2024, guests can now visit the zoo’s two resident snow leopard cubs, Pavlova (female) and Bhutan (male), in their outdoor habitat in Asian Highlands.
The now 4-month-old cubs have begun exploring their outdoor habitat for the first time. As they get acclimated to their new habitat, they will have access to indoor spaces and may choose to be inside. For the best times to see them, check our social media or ask a team member during your visit.
The Janet Quinney Lawson Red Panda Exhibit was made possible by a generous donation from the Quinney Foundation as well as numerous donations from other red panda lovers. The exhibit has been open since May 2, 2018.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is home to Chinese red panda, William. The exhibit is equipped with a recirculating water feature and several cooling spots. If you stop by to see William, you can get 36-degree viewing angles from the upper dining deck of the Asian Highlands and in two other locations at his exhibit.
Red pandas are an endangered species native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Often confused for a raccoon or fox, the red panda is mainly active at dawn and dusk and mostly eats bamboo. Thick, red fur covers their entire body (including the soles of their feet) to conserve body heat.
While exploring the Asian Highlands exhibit, be sure to stop in our Cat Wok Café. This eatery has an assortment of cold treats and drinks— everything you need to cool off on a hot summer’s day. Soft serve, ICEE, and frozen novelties of all kinds are available. We are also excited to announce a partnership with a local favorite— Cloud 9th Creamery. They handmake ice cream just for us, so have a scoop or two of the Red Panda Swirl.
Open during the summer months.