He was the first elephant ever born at the Saint Louis Zoo and is considered a St. Louis legend.
Asian elephant Raja, 30, will be relocating to another zoo in an effort to help save the species from extinction.
“This news is bittersweet for all of us. We know Raja is dear to his fans and to the Zoo family and he’ll be missed here, but we know this is for the best for Raja and the survival of this species,” said Michael Macek, Saint Louis Zoo Director, in a press release. “Thirty years of birthday celebrations is something that will live on in everyone’s memories.”
Raja will join Asian elephants at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium where he will have the opportunity to bond with four females and form a new family group and mentor a young male. Zoo officials say this move aims to maximize the species' health, wellbeing and genetic diversity.
Moves such as this closely mirror the natural behaviors of wild elephants, according to Macek. Adult males live solo or together in small bachelor herds, while females raise their calves and live in multi-generational family groups. Males find females to breed and then move on.
Raja’s move is likely to take place in late 2024 or early 2025. Once he is settled in at his new home, the Zoo would have room to welcome another male at River’s Edge, and the Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan has provisionally identified Samudra, a 15-year-old male from Oregon, as a good match for the female herd.
The Future Of Raja's Family
Raja’s second daughter, Jade, nearly 17, is 10 months pregnant with her first calf and due to give birth in late 2024 or early 2025. The calf will be the first born at the Saint Louis Zoo through artificial insemination. The father is Jake, who was born at African Lion Safari in Ontario, Canada, and currently lives at Denver Zoo. This birth will begin the fourth generation of Asian elephants at the Zoo.
An elephant pregnancy lasts about 22 months and a newborn weighs about 250-350 pounds. Jade receives regular prenatal health checkups by the Zoo’s Animal Care and Animal Health teams. At this time, the sex of the calf is unknown.
Multi-Generational Elephant Family at the Zoo
River’s Edge at the Saint Louis Zoo is home to a seven-member, three-generation family of Asian elephants:
- Raja, 30: Father to Maliha, Jade and Priya
- Pearl, 52: Mother to Raja
- Ellie, 52: Mother to Maliha and Priya; grandmother to Jade
- Sri (pronounced “See), 43: Unrelated “auntie” to Priya, Maliha and Jade
- Maliha, 17: Ellie and Raja’s daughter (born August 2006)
- Jade, 16: Raja’s daughter (born February 2007)
- Priya 10: Ellie and Raja’s daughter (born April 2013)
Saying Goodbye
“We encourage guests to come to see Raja and his elephant family. The move likely won’t happen for at least a year. A visit to the Zoo not only inspires guests to care about elephants and take actions to protect and conserve them, but a majority of guests who visit the Zoo learn something new that they retain and are able to share with others, empowering future conservation leaders,” said Macek.