The Cincinnati Zoo has welcomed Raja, a 33-year-old male Asian elephant weighing 10,000 pounds, from the Saint Louis Zoo. The move followed a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan.
Cincinnati Zoo Director of Animal Care Christina Gorsuch said Raja sired several calves at the Saint Louis Zoo. She said the zoo hopes he will bond with two females there, Anak and Yasmin. Gorsuch said Raja is related to the breeding-age females at the Saint Louis Zoo, and that breeding with the Cincinnati females would add genetic diversity to the North American Asian elephant population.
Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, curator of mammals and ungulates at the Saint Louis Zoo, said Raja was the first elephant born there and is beloved in St. Louis. She said the zoo is sad to see him leave but pleased he can start new families. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Asian elephants as endangered, with fewer than 50,000 believed to remain in the wild. The Cincinnati Zoo has not announced when visitors can see Raja at Elephant Trek.