Cincinnati Zoo welcomes new 10,000-pound elephant from St. Louis

CINCINNATI (WKRC) — The Cincinnati Zoo has welcomed a 10,000-pound Asian elephant from the Saint Louis Zoo.

The 33-year-old bull elephant, named Raja, arrived in Cincinnati following a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan.

“Raja sired several calves during his years at the Saint Louis Zoo, and we’re hoping that he will hit it off with Anak and Yasmin, the females here,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director of Animal Care Christina Gorsuch. “He is related to all of the females of breeding age at the Saint Louis Zoo, and breeding with the females in Cincinnati would add much-needed genetic diversity to the North American Asian elephant population.”

Raja was the first elephant born at the Saint Louis Zoo and is considered a St. Louis legend.

The Cincinnati Zoo has welcomed a 10,000-pound Asian elephant from the Saint Louis Zoo (Cincinnati Zoo)

“Raja is beloved in St. Louis and leaves a legacy that lives on in our multigenerational elephant family,” said Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, curator of mammals/ungulates and River’s Edge at the Saint Louis Zoo. “While we’re sad to see him leave, we’re thrilled that he will have the chance to start new families and contribute to his endangered species.”

Asian elephants are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fewer than 50,000 are believed to remain in the wild, with habitat loss and poaching among the threats facing the species.

The Cincinnati Zoo has not yet announced when visitors will be able to see Raja at Elephant Trek.