The Asian reporter., January 01, 2024, Page 11, Image 11

U.S.A.
January 1, 2024
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11
Raja the elephant, a big draw at the St. Louis Zoo,
is moving to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to breed
By Jim Salter
The Associated Press
T. LOUIS — Raja the elephant has
been one of the biggest attractions
— literally and figuratively — at
the St. Louis Zoo for decades. Now, he’s
moving away.
The zoo announced that the male Asian
elephant born at the zoo nearly 31 years
ago will be relocated to the Columbus Zoo
and Aquarium in Ohio, probably in about a
year. The hope is that he’ll bond with four
females in Columbus, breed, and mentor a
young male there.
Raja was the first elephant ever born at
the St. Louis Zoo, and the 10,000-pound
animal’s birthday on December 27 has
always been a big deal each year, complete
with treats, songs, and lots of visitors
signing an oversized birthday card.
“This news is bittersweet for all of us,”
Michael Macek, director of the St. Louis
Zoo, said in a statement. “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.”
Asian elephants are endangered, with
fewer than 50,000 in the wild, according to
the World Wildlife Fund. Habitat loss and
poaching are blamed for their plight. They
are the largest land mammal on the Asian
continent.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’
Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan
recommended the move of Raja, the St.
Louis Zoo said. The program seeks to
manage the Asian elephant population in
North America and maximize the health,
wellbeing, and genetic diversity of the
elephants, the zoo said.
Raja is the father of the only three
female Asian elephants of breeding age in
St. Louis. The other three females there
5
AR Photo/Jan Landis
Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Zoo, File
S
are too old to reproduce, and one of them is
Raja’s mother. In October, Rani, a
27-year-old female Asian elephant, died
after becoming agitated when a small loose
dog managed to get into the zoo and upset
the herd.
Macek said the move of Raja mirrors the
natural behavior of wild elephants. While
SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN. Raja the elephant
(top photo) has been one of the biggest attractions —
literally and figuratively — at the St. Louis Zoo for de-
cades. Now, he’s moving away. The zoo announced
that the male Asian elephant born at the zoo nearly 31
years ago will be relocated to the Columbus Zoo and
Aquarium in Ohio, probably in about a year. When
Raja leaves, the St. Louis Zoo will have room for a new
male. The zoo said that male is tentatively expected
to be a 15-year-old named Samudra (bottom photo)
from the Oregon Zoo in Portland.
females raise the calves and live in
multi-generational family groups, males
live alone or in small bachelor herds. They
breed, then move on, Macek said.
“Raja moving to Columbus provides an
environment where he and others can
naturally grow their families, which is an
important component to their wellbeing,”
Macek said.
The move is expected to occur in late
2024 or early 2025. When Raja leaves, the
St. Louis Zoo will have room for a new
male. The zoo said that male is tentatively
expected to be a 15-year-old named
Samudra from the Oregon Zoo in Portland.
Samudra was born at the Oregon Zoo on
August 23, 2008, weighing in at 286
pounds. He was the first third-generation
elephant born in the United States.
Samudra has always loved the water — his
name means “ocean” in Sanskrit. The
roughly 10,000-pound pachyderm is often
seen
playfully
splashing
in
the
160,000-gallon pool at the zoo’s Elephant
Lands exhibit. His care team expects him
to put on another ton or two over the next
couple of decades.
Meanwhile, Raja’s 16-year-old daughter
Jade is pregnant with her first calf and due
to give birth at around the time that Raja
leaves — Asian elephants are typically
pregnant for up to 22 months. It will be the
first elephant calf born at the zoo through
artificial insemination. The father is
housed at the Denver Zoo.
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Difficulty
MEDIUM
level: Medium
#56723
# 62
Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1
through 9 appear one time each in every row, col-
umn, and 3x3 box.
Solution to
last issue’s
puzzle
Puzzle #95376 (Easy)
All solutions available at
<www.sudoku.com>.
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