Saint Louis Zoo St. Louis Zoo News 2025

UngulateNerd92 said:
Saint Louis Zoo Launches New Polar Bear Conservation Initiative

The Saint Louis Zoo in St. Louis, Mo., has launched a new conservation initiative that will support research, fieldwork, and outreach to help both wild polar bears in the Arctic and the people who live among them.

The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Polar Bear Conservation is the first new conservation center created by the Zoo since 2019. It will be an adaptable conservation program dedicated to safeguarding the species.

The polar bear is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and faces significant threats including loss of sea ice habitats due to climate change.

It’s incredibly important that we better understand and protect this species now more than ever,” said Center Director, Julie Hartell-DeNardo, who also serves as the Kevin Beckmann curator of carnivores at Saint Louis Zoo. “We hope deepening the Zoo’s longstanding support of this species can make a real impact for these magnificent bears.”

The Center for Polar Bear Conservation is now one of 17 Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute centers dedicated to the conservation of animals and their habitats across the globe, from the hellbenders of Missouri to the frogs of Ecuador and Grevy's zebras in Africa.

Saint Louis Zoo Launches New Polar Bear Conservation Initiative
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Hello,

as this news dates from a few months and prior to the election of D. Trump to the presidence of the USA, and given the recent attacks over climate and environment science in this country under his rule, I'm curious to know if this program has been maintained. I hope it would be the case as it may not rely on public (and especially) federal funds.
I would like to have factual answers, and not mere opinions about the US policies at all.

Please excuse my question that reflects an European point of view and may sound naïve to some of the Zoochatters.
 
None of that would come from federal funds. The public funds of the St. Louis zoo come from
a special tax district that includes only St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Not even really the State of Missouri (though they do grant the tax district authority).
Given that the wildcare institute is usually really really slow in releasing reports (and that the polar bear initiative launched in late 2024) , I would not expect much news from it until mid 2026.
The only way the trump could really affect it, is by negatively impacting the economy in general, nothing he could do directly.
 
To be fair, the indoor exhibits are more individual jewel-boxes rather than guests being in the same space as the birds, aside from one walk-in atrium.
 
Daktari JG said:
That seems rather backwards. Open air exhibit of native birds-closed. Indoor exhibit of rarities
open.
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I assume the concern is that it would be easier for the exhibit birds to be exposed to potential germs carried in by guests in the walkthrough environment, especially the potential to track infected wild bird feces on their shoes, while the indoor birds could not be exposed to anything outside of their exhibit. Airbone transmission isn't the primary fear, I would assume.

Daktari JG said:
the indoor exhibits normally puts you much closer to the birds than the
1904 bird cage ever does
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My only time I visited the Cypress Aviary, it was at opening time. There were birds inches away from me right on the boardwalk. A keeper came by for feeding soon and they remained close to the boardwalk. Maybe I lucked out there.
 
Updates from my visit on Tuesday:
  • The last aviary in the row with the pheasant and vulture is undergoing maintenance
  • The part of the bird house where the hornbills are has been cordoned off, as the hornbills seem to be exhibiting breeding behavior
  • There were a few outdoor exhibits undergoing maintenance, as well as a few inside the primate house
  • The Ozark hellbender/map turtle exhibit seemed to be completely empty, as I could not find either of them; all I saw were a crayfish and some minnows
  • The brown recluse exhibit only had a dead spider in it (not a molt)
 
Baby elephant Jet makes public debut:
Baby elephant makes public debut at Saint Louis Zoo
"Baby elephant Jet made his public debut at the Saint Louis Zoo on Tuesday.

The five-month-old will make frequent appearances in the habitats in the River’s Edge area of the Zoo.

“Jet is a curious young elephant. He loves to run around, play in the dirt, and climb over logs,” said Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, Zoological Manager of River’s Edge at the Saint Louis Zoo. “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 the first Asian elephant calf born through artificial insemination at the Zoo. He currently weighs 578 pounds."
 
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