10,000-Pound Raja Joins Cincinnati Zoo for Breeding

Raja, a 33-year-old 10,000-pound Asian elephant, arrived at Cincinnati Zoo's Elephant Trek from the Saint Louis Zoo under an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan breeding recommendation. He will join females Anak and Yasmin (aka She-Ra). The Saint Louis Zoo announced the departure the prior week. Cincinnati Zoo said its bull Sabu showed little interest in breeding with the females for more than two years. Christina Gorsuch, Cincinnati Zoo's director of animal care, said Raja sired several calves at Saint Louis and the zoo hopes he will hit it off with Anak and Yasmin. She said he is related to all breeding-age females there, and breeding in Cincinnati would add much-needed genetic diversity to the North American Asian elephant population. No factual dispute found. Raja was the first elephant born at the Saint Louis Zoo on Dec. 27, 1992. He fathered daughters Maliha, Jade and Priya and became grandfather to Jet in November 2024. The plan calls for another bull to move to St. Louis and for younger bulls Sanjay and Kabir to transfer to another AZA zoo, expected in December. Raja is settling into Elephant Trek; visitors may not always see the elephants during introductions.