From the Desk of the Dana Brown President & CEO, Dwight Scott
Our organization is in a great period of growth and transition. Every day, we’re looking for ways we can make the world a better, healthier and kinder place for people and animals.
The Saint Louis Zoo is adding new chapters to its over 100-year story, including breaking ground on Henry A. Jubel Foundation Destination Discovery, celebrating new successes in animal care and conservation — the first Asian elephant calf born through artificial insemination at the Saint Louis Zoo — and connecting with people in new and meaningful ways.
Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park is gearing up for its opening in 2027 and is already busy with activity, from calves being born to new barns being built for them. By the end of 2024, WildCare Park was home to 14 addax, five banteng, six Grevy’s zebra, one Somali wild ass and eight scimitar-horned oryx, with many more species to come. It’s expected to be home to more than 350 animals.
You’re probably noticing a theme behind our 2024 milestones — lots of new! As we look back on our successes from last year, we thought the following 10 stories really encapsulate our drive forward to be one of the best organizations for the world. And these milestones wouldn’t have been possible without the love, support and dedication of our community. Thank you all for supporting us as we continue to build our legacy as a world-class organization dedicated to animal conservation, animal care and education.
I hope you enjoy this look back into 2024. We’re so glad to have you part of our story.
Dwight Scott,
Dana Brown President & CEO, Saint Louis Zoo
Embracing Innovation and Celebrating the Firsts
This was literally breaking new ground! Construction began on Destination Discovery in August 2024, and the experience is set to open in 2026 at the Saint Louis Zoo. We hosted some special guests at the groundbreaking: children who helped us in the exhibit planning process. Through a series of engagement sessions, children and families from diverse backgrounds and abilities helped determine what themes, activities and features would create the best possible experience for future Destination Discovery guests.
After a nearly two-year pregnancy, Asian elephant Jade gave birth on Nov. 23, 2024, to baby boy named Jet. This little one’s birth begins the fourth generation of our elephant family at the Zoo. Jet is the first elephant born from artificial insemination at the Saint Louis Zoo. The father is Jake, who currently lives at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Using the science of artificial insemination allowed Jade to contribute to the genetic diversity of the population while remaining with her family group.
Galapagos tortoises are gentle giants and iconic species. Sadly, the two species found on Santa Cruz Island are critically endangered. The Saint Louis Zoo’s long-standing work in the Galapagos resulted in three well-received scientific papers. The work was led by Dr. Sharon Deem, Director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, and Dr. Stephen Blake, Professor of Biology at Saint Louis University and adjunct scientist with the Saint Louis Zoo. In these papers, these experts offered insight into the challenges these animals face, as well as solutions that may help conserve these reptiles.
A female Grevy’s zebra foal was born at the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park on April 16, 2024. This foal makes history as the first animal ever born at WildCare Park, our safari park under development in north St. Louis County set to open to the public in 2027. In addition to welcoming new animals, our WildCare Park team was excited to release a new fly-through rendering video of the park and an economic impact report projecting that the project will generate over $660 million in economic activity across the St. Louis region within the next 10 years.
Late winter got a whole lot brighter with our first-ever Animals Aglow event, which opened on March 13, 2024, at the Saint Louis Zoo. More than 60 larger-than-life Chinese lanterns and interactive light displays in the shape of plants and wildlife illuminated paths throughout the Zoo at this nighttime event. The event was a resounding success; there were 131,224 tickets sold by the end of the event on May 5.
In late October 2024, the Saint Louis Zoo displayed its first-ever Animal Ofrenda in observance of Día de los Muertos. An ofrenda is an altar displayed during the traditional Mexican and Latin American celebration of Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) to honor cherished loved ones who have passed away. The Zoo’s first ofrenda celebrated the lives of both staff pets and Zoo animals. Animal Care staff provided photos in memory of Zoo animals that they have cared for and loved over decades, and the entire Zoo staff submitted pictures of cherished pets that have passed away.
Our fieldwork branch, the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute, hosted its 20th anniversary celebration on Nov. 20, 2024, and leaders were thrilled to announce the launch of the Center for Polar Bear Conservation. This initiative will join the ranks of 16 other Centers that are under the umbrella of the WildCare Institute. The Center for Polar Bear Conservation will support research, fieldwork and outreach to help both wild polar bears in the Arctic and the people who live among them.
Four American red wolf pups were born in spring 2024 in the first-ever breeding season at Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve, our organization’s Franklin County property dedicated to conserving the most endangered wolf species in the world. The Wildlife Reserve opened in 2022, answering the call to help keep this keystone American species from extinction. Only about 20 red wolves remain in the wild today. The species can now only be found in the wild in North Carolina.
While the Saint Louis Zoo has hosted ZOOFARI for decades, 2024 was the first year we debuted the fundraiser as an annual event. ZOOFARI is our annual grazing gala, featuring appetizing bites from dozens of local restaurants, premium open bars, live musical entertainment, a silent auction and interactive special activities. We invite guests to party for a purpose: our conservation work! In 2024, more than 2,000 members of the community came together to raise over $895,000 in support of the Zoo’s mission of conserving animals and their habitats here in Missouri and in the wild.
A decades-long conservation effort involving the Saint Louis Zoo reached a historic milestone with the discovery of the first wild-born Partula tohiveana snail since the species went extinct in the wild in the 1980s.
2024 Friends & Financials
We are grateful for the generous support provided by our donors, Zoo members, partners, volunteers, and the taxpayers of the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.
2024 At A Glance
11,978
Animals in our care
Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park
