Happy Birthday, Raja!

A Virtual Celebration!

Sunday, December 27, 2020
11 a.m.

For the safety of Zoo guests, staff and the animals, there will not be any birthday celebration activities at River's Edge for guests.
Guests visiting the Zoo on December 27 will not be able to witness the birthday celebration.

How do you celebrate a birthday in 2020? You decorate your lawn with large birthday signs and gather virtually, of course! For 27 years, we’ve been celebrating male Asian elephant Raja’s birthday with huge signs in the form of enrichment-filled birthday presents decorating his habitat for the big day. This year, no matter where you are, you can join us virtually and celebrate with Raja from the comfort of your own couch!

Enjoy this special pre-taped video of Raja’s 28th (yes, he’s 28!) birthday celebration!

The elephant care team will be sure the birthday boy and the rest of the elephant family enjoy some extra special enrichment in honor of the day.

Raja, the first Asian elephant born at the Zoo on December 27, 1992, is the father of three female calves at the Zoo — Maliha, 14, Jade, 13, and Priya, 7.

#RajasBirthday

Join the Celebration!

Watch the virtual celebration below or at Facebook.com/stlzoo or YouTube.com/stlzootube.

Enjoy special activities and videos and sign Raja's virtual birthday card!

Click here for special online birthday activities

Raja's 28th Birthday

The First 27 Years

Zoo Animal Stories: Raja's Story

Click here to see photos and videos from past celebrations!

Our Zoo is Helping Asian Elephants

The Saint Louis Zoo participates in the Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for Asian elephants. This is a cooperative breeding program, with a number of zoos working together to ensure the survival of the species. In addition, our state-of-the-art elephant facility River's Edge was designed to enable us to breed our elephants -- and our plans have definitely paid off!