Raja and another elephant at St. Louis Zoo in Missouri, USA. Image credit: Danielle Kellogg, Flickr.
Raja the elephant will be relocated from St. Louis Zoo with the hope that he will bond and breed with the elephants at Colombus Zoo and Aquarium.
Raja is part of an endangered Asian elephant species — according to the World Wildlife Fund, there are less than 50,000 in the wild.
On Thursday, Saint Louis Zoological Park announced the move was recommended by the Association of Zoo and Aquarium as part of the Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Raja will move to Ohio in late 2024 or early 2025.
“Obviously, nothing is certain when you’re planning this far in advance and with so many variables,” said Asian Elephant SSP Coordinator Bob Lee in a statement.
“But Asian elephants are facing a serious threat of extinction right now, and we need to be thinking ahead like this to ensure their survival into the future.”
The female elephants currently at St. Louis Zoo are too old to reproduce or are Raja’s family members.
Authorities hope that Raja will breed with the four female elephants at the Columbus zoo, as well as mentor the young male that is there.
In 1992, Raja was the first elephant to be born at the zoo in St. Louis, Missouri.
“This news is bittersweet for all of us,” said Zoo Director Michael Macek.
“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.”
Raja is currently a father of three young female Asian elephants.
“Raja moving to Columbus provides an environment where he and others can naturally grow their families, which is an important component to their wellbeing,” said Macek.
The zoo has encouraged the public to visit Raja before he moves on.
