Help celebrate Raja the elephant's 30th birthday with the Saint Louis Zoo! 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.
Due to the cold temperatures and unfavorable weather conditions predicted for Tuesday, Dec. 27, Raja (pronounced RAH zhä), the Saint Louis Zoo’s bull Asian elephant, will not be making an appearance for his 30th birthday celebration on Tuesday. Because the Saint Louis Zoo is dedicated to caring for animals, Raja and the other elephants will be in their indoor climate-controlled barn.
Zoo guests may still sign a super-sized birthday card for Raja and learn more about the elephants and elephant conservation through activities and biofacts from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Living World at the Zoo’s North Entrance.
Birthday cupcakes and hot chocolate will be available for purchase at Lakeside Cafe.
Born on Dec. 27, 1992, Raja was the first Asian elephant born at the Zoo. He is the father of three female calves at the Zoo — Maliha, 16, Jade, 15, and Priya, 9. The Zoo’s three-generation Asian elephant family is thriving under the excellent care provided by a highly-trained professional animal care team.
Learn more at: stlzoo.org/raga
Join in on First Art, a free art program for toddlers where the focus is on the process of making art rather than the finished product. Dress to get messy!
Explore the Saint Louis Zoo in the evenings at the Chinese lantern festival Animals Aglow! Animals Aglow returns to illuminate the Saint Louis Zoo for the second year with dozens of new, towering lanterns and light displays.
Visit The Magic House for Toddler Time, a special early-morning program for toddlers. Children age 1-4 can take part in exhibits and exclusive interactive activities designed just for little ones. There are new themes every week!
Open Gym at Miss Kelly's Gym is an opportunity for any child to have supervised free play in the gym. They can work on existing skills, try something new, or simply play around. It is completely up to them! Open Gym is open to both members and non-members ages 12 and under.
See the Zoo's California sea lions perform acrobatic and athletic feats, including Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, flipper walks, frisbee tosses and plenty of surprises. While on stage with the sea lions, the Zoo's trainers explain sea lion behavior and positive-reinforcement training, in addition to the need for conserving the sea lion's ocean habitat.