Visitors can sign a super-sized birthday card and learn more about the species and elephant conservation through activities and biofacts until 1 p.m. in the Living World building. Birthday cupcakes and hot chocolate will be available for purchase in Lakeside Cafe.

There are nearly 50,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, and they are facing extinction due to habitat loss and destruction. Given the shrinking population of Asian elephants, the Saint Louis Zoo is committed to conserving this endangered species.

The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Asian Elephant Conservation supports the welfare and conservation of Asian elephants in Sumatra and other countries in Asia, India and Myanmar. The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa also supports the conservation of African elephants in Kenya through the Northern Rangelands Trust.

The Zoo also 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!