Baby elephant Jet makes public debut at Saint Louis Zoo

ST. LOUIS – Last fall, the Saint Louis Zoo welcomed a newborn Asian elephant calf to its family of pachyderms, the first fourth-generation member of the family.

On Tuesday, the nearly 600-pound baby, Jet, made his public debut to zoo-goers.

Jet will begin making frequent appearances at the zoo’s River’s Edge habitat, though the animal care team says there’s no set schedule when the bouncing baby will venture into the public viewing area.

“Jet is a curious young elephant. He loves to run around, play in the dirt, and climb over logs,” Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, Zoological Manager of River’s Edge at the Saint Louis Zoo, said. “He is always eager to work with his training team to learn behaviors that help us to make sure he is staying healthy, like opening his mouth to allow us to look at his teeth and gums.”

Jet was born on the morning of Nov. 23, 2024, the first Asian elephant born at the zoo through artificial insemination. An elephant pregnancy lasts approximately 22 months and newborns typically weigh between 250 to 350 pounds.

The animal care team chose the name Jet because it is a gemstone and is in line with the zoo’s elephant family history of gemstone names. Jet’s great grandparents are Onyx and Pearl.

Jet’s father, Jake, lives at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance in Denver, Colorado. Jake was born at African Lion Safari in Ontario, Canada. Jade, Jet’s mother, was born at Saint Louis Zoo in 2007, and her parents are Rani and Raja.

In the months following his birth, Jet bonded with both his mother and an older female in the herd, Sri.

There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, and they are facing extinction due to poaching and habitat loss.