Ready to roar
During your visit to Asian Highlands, you may hear Max and Sasha, since they are both very vocal tigers. Roars, chuffs, and long calls can play a role in communication, territorial behavior, and interactions between potential mates. Although they may not always be calling for each other, Max’s arrival may encourage more vocalization from Sasha.

Howdy, Maxim and Sasha
Tigers are generally solitary animals, except during breeding season (typically from January through March/April), so Max and Sasha may see each other through the mesh fenceline as he explores his new space. To help the pair get to know each other, their care team has already started smell and habitat swapping, letting Sasha come into the space where Max has been and then returning Max to that space after she leaves.

In the future, Max and Sasha’s care team will help the pair get to know each other more in controlled settings before they prepare for a structured introduction process known as a “howdy.” This gradual approach helps ensure both tigers are comfortable before fully sharing space. During a howdy, our animal care team will monitor behavior for positive cues that indicate Max and Sasha are ready to be introduced.

Everything their care team does as Max settles in, during howdies, or in future breeding introductions is based on the tigers’ behavior and communication with each other, their keepers, and the environment. Each step of the process prioritizes the wellbeing of both tigers.

Protecting endangered species and creating champions for wildlife starts with the animals under our care. Max’s arrival is about more than welcoming a new resident to Asian Highlands. As part of the Amur tiger SSP, his arrival contributes to the cooperative conservation efforts of AZA-accredited zoos working to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population.

Amur tiger conservation
Amur tigers are classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Found in the forests and mountains of the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Amur tiger populations are isolated, making movement between them and connection among populations more difficult. As top predators, tigers play an essential role in maintaining ecosystem balance. By regulating large-herbivore populations, they help shape the health of surrounding forests and grasslands.

Tigers face growing threats from poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, declining prey populations, population isolation, genetic vulnerability, and human-wildlife conflict, all of which make it harder for them to find the space, food, and resources they need to survive. A central conservation action for tigers is protecting and restoring large, connected landscapes where they can live and move freely. Governments and conservation organizations are also working to eliminate poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in addition to strengthening community engagement.

By visiting Hogle Zoo, you contribute to our conservation initiatives in Utah and around the world.