New to the zoo: Natasha, an 11-year-old Amur tiger, settles into her Anchorage home (2025)

Natasha eased into her new home at the Alaska Zoo on Wednesday. She walked the fenceline of her 14,000-square-foot habitat, gnawed on a branch and plopped down in the golden grasses to rest after a long relocation journey from Kansas.

Jody Sentel, a zookeeper for Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, watched the tiger from a viewing platform. She said the transition was unfolding smoothly since the animal’s arrival late Tuesday.

“We opened up the doors and gave her the choice to come out,” Sentel said. “And she took about an hour to herself before she decided to venture out.”

The Alaska Zoo had been without an Amur tiger, also known as Siberian, since the deaths of the siblings Karol and Kunali. Karol died in March 2023 at age 18. Kunali died a year later at 19. “We’re all just so happy to have a tiger in here again,” said zoo curator Sam Lavin. “It’s been a hard few months without our boys.”

Sentel, who said she has cared for Natasha since she was born at the zoo in Wichita, said the tiger became a candidate for relocation, in part, because she couldn’t participate in the facility’s breeding program. “Tasha had a tumor that was related to her reproductive tract, which resulted in her needing to be spayed,” she said.

Sentel said Natasha was also a distraction for another breeding pair it keeps there. “The female that we have was really reactive to Natasha,” Sentel said. “And so we’re hoping that they’ll have better success breeding when it’s just the pair.”

It was good timing that the Alaska Zoo had a tiger vacancy. The two zoos coordinated with the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which sets population management goals and recommendations. Sentel and a veterinarian traveled with the animal from Wichita to Anchorage.

“It’s always kind of stressful,” Sentel said. “We try and be as prepared as possible. We try and plan everything out as much as possible. We always have contingency plans in play, but there’s always the unknown that you have to react as it happens.”

The long but uneventful journey started before dawn Tuesday when the 300-pound tiger was loaded into a large metal crate for a 10-hour road trip to Memphis. A car followed behind with a two-person dangerous animal response team, just in case, Sentel said. A seven-hour FedEx flight to Anchorage followed.

“She couldn’t have traveled better,” Sentel said.

Alaska Zoo zookeeper Jennifer Bierlair said Wednesday was an exciting day for zoo visitors and for her personally. She’ll take a leading role in caring for Natasha, she said, just as she had done for a few years for Karol and Kunali. Natasha will eat beef and occasionally get bones. “We’ll probably be giving her a couple things she’s never had, like moose and caribou,” she said.

For now, Bierlair said, a top priority is to let the animal get comfortable in her surroundings and with her care team. “First is just going to be mainly relationship-building with her, and getting her used to me and getting her trust,” she said. “And then we’ll work towards finding out what all the fun enrichment things are that she likes.”

Bierlair said she’ll also work with Sentel to continue training with Natasha to respond to hand signals and verbal cues. That will be useful when the tiger receives occasional ultrasounds and blood draws to monitor her health. Lavin said the tiger’s den was reconfigured prior to her arrival to accommodate veterinary work.

“She doesn’t know us and she doesn’t know the space,” Lavin said. “We would love it if she would feel comfortable coming in and staying in the building with us. We’ll move at her pace.”

Watching from the viewing deck, Sentel said she could tell the tiger was responding to neighboring animals at the zoo. “There’s a lot of animals around here she’s never seen before, so that’s fun for her,” she said. She said she has faith in Natasha’s new caretakers, but she’ll miss the tiger she’s worked with for so long.

“Right now I’m doing fine,” she said. “But when it comes to the day that I have to walk away from her, I’m going to be a wreck.”

Alaska Zoo Executive Director Tristan Thon said keeping a tiger at the Alaska Zoo supports its mission. “We’ve had Amur Tigers since 1995 and the habitat and climate we have is perfectly suited for the species,” she wrote in an email. “Natasha being at the zoo will also allow us to educate people about this endangered species and the importance of conservation.”

Wild Amur tigers, once nearly extinct, remain endangered. Estimates for their population in Eastern Russia and Northeast China are about 500.

The zoo has no plans to add another tiger. When they’re in pairs in captivity, it’s usually because they’re siblings, like Karol and Kunali.

“They, by and large, do not care for company, and that’s normal in the wild,” Lavin said.