Saint Louis Zoo Celebrates World Elephant Day

ST. LOUIS, MO — The Saint Louis Zoo is celebrating World Elephant Day on Aug. 12. The holiday was created to celebrate the world’s largest land animals and bring attention to critical threats elephants are facing as well as to support conservation efforts. Visitors will be able to meet members of the zoo’s Asian elephant family, which spans three generations, as well as participate in elephant-themed activities and talks.

The events are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday at the River’s Edge habitat. Keeper chats will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To learn more, visit stlzoo.org/elephants and follow #savingspecies on social media.

“The Saint Louis Zoo’s support for elephant conservation begins at home with the elephants in our care,” says Martha Fischer, the zoo's curator of mammals/ungulates and elephants. “We have a highly trained and devoted elephant care team who dedicate their lives and careers to the care of the elephants. Our care extends all the way to Asia and Africa to ensure a future for elephants worldwide.”

Ninety-six elephants are illegally killed for their ivory (tusks) every day in Africa, the zoo said in a statement. According to the AZA, there are currently 162 African elephants and 142 Asian elephants in the AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan. That means that there are more elephants killed in four days than are living in all of the AZA-accredited zoos combined.

“The illegal ivory trade is pushing elephants to the brink of extinction,” said Jeffrey P. Bonner, Dana Brown President and CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo. “Each year, over 35,000 African elephants are killed for their ivory. No species can withstand this kind of loss and survive. We care for Asian elephants at our Zoo. In the wild, Asian elephants also are under siege. There are fewer than 50,000 left.”

The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Elephant Conservation Program is dedicated to partnering with others globally to support wild Asian and African elephants and their fragile habitats, zoo officials said. In Asia, the WildCare Institute supports elephant conservation through the International Elephant Foundation, which fosters partnerships to provide long-term support to wildlife programs around the world. Support is also provided to Elephant Response Units, which work to mitigate human-elephant conflict, protect wild Sumatran elephants and engage members of the communities in and around Way Kambas National Park.

In Africa, the WildCare Institute supports the elephant protection and anti-poaching efforts of the Northern Rangelands Trust, a community-led initiative that forms a true union of Kenyan communities through field conservation, community development and educational programs.

In 2017, the Saint Louis Zoo and other zoos and aquariums accredited by the AZA contributed over $220 million to field conservation projects benefiting over 860 species in 128 countries, according to a statement from the zoo.

For more information, visit stlzoo.org.

The Saint Louis Zoo contributed to this report.

Photo by J. Ryne Danielson/Patch