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January Birthday Bash
January 4, 2025 @ 10:45 am - 11:30 am
Free with Zoo admission or membership
The Louisville Zoo is kicking off 2025 with the celebration of a few of Louisville’s most beloved and iconic animals. Come celebrate the birthdays of western lowland gorilla Jelani, polar bear Qannik, and Asian elephant Punch!
Due to anticipated low temperatures, the Punch birthday portion has been cancelled. But we will still honor the discounted “Red Hat” admission .
This year’s celebration carries extra significance. This will be Punch’s last birthday at the Zoo before she and African elephant Mikki move to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, in the spring, as the Zoo announced in March 2024.
Zoo guests will be invited to sing “Happy Birthday” and each animal will receive special celebratory enrichment items and treats. Elephant Punch and polar bear Qannik were wild born and their exact birth dates are estimated. Gorilla Jelani’s actual birthdate is January 6.
Anyone wearing a red hat for Punch will receive a $1 discount at the Zoo’s admission windows. This offer is valid in person only and can not be combined with other discounts.
Or you can help out the needy with our Wild Winter Days discount presented by Kroger. Guests who bring at least one non-perishable food item per person may purchase discounted tickets at the Zoo ticket windows for $10.50 per adult and $7.50 per child or senior. Twenty-five cents of every admission ticket will also support the Zoo’s conservation efforts.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
10:45 a.m. – Gorilla Forest – Gorilla Jelani turns 28
It’s an ape-solutely awesome birthday celebration in Gorilla Forest as keepers celebrate one of the Zoo’s most beloved and well-known male gorillas with special enrichment treats.
Want to help gorillas?
Recycle your old cell phone and smart devices at the Louisville Zoo! Click here to learn more.
11:15 a.m. – Glacier Run – Polar Bear Qannik turns 14
Join us for Qannik’s birthday with decor themed for dating websites to celebrate that the female bear has finally found her “Bo!” After years of discussions with various agencies and organizations, the wild-born, rescued polar bear Qannik has joined the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) cooperative breeding program. Male polar bear “Bo” arrived earlier this year and is in rotation with Qannik. We will see sometime this year if Qannik “swipes right” on Bo!
Want to help polar bears?
Due to anticipated low temperatures, the Punch birthday portion has been cancelled. But we will still honor the discounted “Red Hat” admission .
Asian Elephant Punch turns 55
Punch’s 55th will be a “Red Hat Society” birthday to celebrate “Fun, Fitness and Friendship at 55!” Zoo keepers will create special enrichment themed after the iconic red and purple hats. The Zoo also encourages guests to wear their own red hats in honor of Punch’s final birthday at the Zoo before she goes on her new adventure. Red is an appropriate color for Punch as Asian elephants are considered endangered on The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species
Want to help elephants?
Use the Sustainable Palm Oil Shopping App; purchase FSC-certified wood and paper products; and buy food and other items from local and small businesses.
ABOUT JELANI: Western lowland gorilla Jelani arrived at the Louisville Zoo in 2002 from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Over the last twelve years, Jelani has gained viral popularity several times for his interest in looking at guests’ cell phones. ABOUT QANNIK AND POLAR BEARS: Qannik (pronounced “Cunnick”) made national headlines when she was found on Alaska’s North Slope in 2011, separated from her mother and sibling. After several days of monitoring in hopes she would reunite with the other bears, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began a rescue operation. Qannik was underweight and likely hadn’t learned vital survival skills. She has been at the Louisville Zoo’s award-winning Glacier Run exhibit since June 28, 2011. Because Qannik was born in the wild, her exact birthdate is unknown. Officials from the USFWS assigned January 10 as her birthday. Qannik is on habitat rotation with two other bears at Glacier Run: male polar bear Bo and male grizzly bear Otis. The IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group lists the polar bear as a vulnerable species, citing sea ice loss from climate change as the single biggest threat to their survival. Males do the work of searching out females when the sea ice returns, but females indicate their readiness to make through physiological signals, like releasing scent cutes from foot pads. We will see this year if Qannik “swipes right” on Bo!. ABOUT PUNCH AND ELEPHANTS: Asian elephant Punch arrived at the Louisville Zoo on November 28, 1973, at approximately 3 years old, from Southwick’s Zoo in Massachusetts. Punch was wild born, so her exact birthdate is estimated. She enjoys playing with her boomer ball and eating squash. Elephant population is in decline mainly caused by habitat loss, human elephant conflict and poaching. You can help elephants like Punch by using Sustainable Palm Oil Shopping App, purchasing FSC-certified wood and paper products, and by buying food and other items from local and small businesses.
Located on 3,060 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary is the nation’s largest natural-habitat refuge developed specifically for Asian and African elephants. Founded in 1995, The Sanctuary has provided 33 elephants with individualized care, the companionship of a herd, and the opportunity to live out their lives in a safe haven dedicated to their well-being. The Sanctuary is licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and has been dually recognized through accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. The Elephant Sanctuary is currently home to 12 elephant residents.