Monarto Safari Park will now be welcoming FIVE Elephants!
Monarto Safari Park is trumpeting with excitement as they announce TWO MORE Asian Elephants are set to join the herd.
Pak Boon and Tang Mo from Taronga Zoo Sydney are packing up their trunks and following in the footsteps of Burma, Permai and Putra Mas. Taronga Zoo Sydney is keen for the pair to become part of Monarto Safari Parkโs new social herd, recognising that the large open range nature of the habitat and the significant increase in size is a welcome addition for the much-loved pair.
โItโs really exciting to know that Pak Boon and Tang Mo will be coming to Monarto Safari Park in mid-2025,โ said Elaine Bensted, CE of Zoos SA.
โWe look forward to welcoming the two elephants and sharing the conservation story for the endangered Asian Elephants.
โWe canโt wait to watch as Pak Boon and Tang Mo settle in alongside Burma, Permai and Putra Mas at Monarto Safari Park, with the two females joining the herd, just as they would in the wild.
โThe most important thing is to get all the elephants safely to their new home in South Australia and that they settle and start to benefit from being in a social herd,โ finished Elaine.
All being well, Burma will transfer from Auckland Zoo and looks set to arrive at Monarto Safari Park in October/November 2024 and Permai and Putra Mas from Perth Zoo in mid-2025.
READ MORE ABOUT THE NEW FEMALE ARRIVALS HERE
BE PART OF HISTORY (2023)
Monarto Safari Park’s campaign in 2023 to raise $2.025 million to bring the first three Asian Elephants to Monarto Safari Park was realised in just 28 days. Zoos SA called on South Aussies and all elephant lovers to help raise funds to home Asian Elephants at Monarto Safari Park as they revealed plans to build an amazing habitat for (initially) three Asian elephants.
Three elephants from Perth and Auckland zoos will become founders of a South Australian herd where they can socialise and roam at the largest open-range safari in the region. In collaboration with the two Australasian zoos, Monarto Safari Parkโs new habitat will give initially the three Asian elephants a โforever homeโ that meets their complex social structure needs.
Meet the first 3 Elephants
Meet Burma, Permai and Putra Mas; three much-loved Asian Elephants. With female elephant Permai described as โcheeky and mischievousโ, Burma described as โplayful and a gentle giantโ and bull Putra Mas as โliving up to his nameโs meaning of golden prince and known for trumpeting loudly when happyโ, the plans mean thereโs much to wrap oneโs trunk around!
โThere are three elephants currently at Auckland Zoo and Perth Zoo that need a new home that reflects their longer-term needs to be living with other elephants. Monarto Safari Park can offer this and more. Weโve been working really closely with our counterparts at the zoos and others within the Asian Elephant regional breeding program to make the magic happen. Thereโs just one thing in the way of our vision – we need to raise $2.025 million and fast! And that’s why I’m hoping that the community will get behind our fundraising and donate to bring them to South Australia.โ said Zoos SA CE, Elaine Bensted.
โAs a conservation charity, we want to work with fellow accredited zoos to provide the best home for the elephants where they can live with other animals as part of a herd structure. The prospect of having elephants at Monarto Safari Park is not only exciting, it’s the right thing to do for these elephants.
โWhile many believe that we are Government-run, we are not. We are a private conservation charity and so to make this happen we need to fundraise and we are hoping that the local and wider community will get behind us and the gorgeous elephants. Not only is it a huge amount to raise thereโs also limited time with an imminent deadline as ultimately these elephants need new homes whether itโs with us or elsewhere.
โThe elephants come first. Thereโs no doubt about that. Both Perth and Auckland zoos have been very open about the elephants needing to find โforever homesโ that meet the elephantsโ long-term needs.
โSouth Australia has a long-standing history of having elephants at Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park.
โWhen I first heard how excited our Zoo partners were about the possibility of Monarto Safari Park being able to provide a โforever homeโ for Burma, Permai and Putra Mas I reflected on the fact that during Adelaide Zooโs 140th birthday celebration in May so many people approached me and recollected their memories of elephants at Adelaide Zoo.
โThe community remembers fondly the time when Samorn was at Adelaide Zoo and later moved to Monarto Safari Park. As a child I remember the feeling of awe seeing her. Of course, animal welfare and how we care for animals such as elephants has moved on. But the magic and emotion that these enormous yet gentle and intelligent creatures bring out in us all is still very much alive. Thatโs why we are hoping the community will want to see the three elephants at Monarto Safari Park and get behind our fundraising,โ finished Elaine.
Within Australia, the Asian Elephant regional breeding program has experienced immense success, with eight calves born since 2000, and three calves born in the last 12 months alone.
The establishment of a new herd in South Australia will increase capacity within the region, making room for more animals to be born into safe habitats with socially appropriate herd structures.
The new move would also potentially provide an excellent long-term outcome for Burma, Permai and Putra Mas by providing them with a suitable social structure that is closer to what they would have in the wild.
Itโs estimated there are less than 52,000 Asian Elephants remaining in the wild, with the world losing 50% of Asian Elephants in the last 3 generations. This makes regionally coordinated conservation programs more critical than ever.
Asian Elephants deserve to be saved from extinction. With Asian Elephants continuing to face threats in the wild, a long-term collaborative commitment to the species is crucial to ensuring the species remains for generations to come.
Increasing the capacity for the breeding program enables more people in Australia to learn about elephants and support the vital conservation work.
โThis is a mammoth day in history for Asian Elephant conservation,โ said Claire Wright, Acting Executive Director of Perth Zoo.
โWe know the Western Australian community cares deeply about Permai and Putra Mas, and we are ecstatic to have found the perfect forever home for them.
โWhile the staff at Perth Zoo have always provided exemplary love and care to the two elephants, we have been very open that the pair’s social needs come first.
โPerth Zooโs animal experts have been meticulously exploring all options for both elephants, and we are thrilled that Zoos SA is keen to create a third regional herd.
โA social herd structure is absolutely critical for Permaiโs wellbeing and we look forward to seeing her potentially finding a new friendship with Auckland Zooโs Burma.โ
โWe are very, very excited about the possibility of Monarto Safari Park developing this new habitat for the regional elephant programme and really hope that this fundraising effort is successful so that it can become a reality,โ said Kevin Buley, director of Auckland Zoo.
โAlthough Burma continues to do well at Auckland Zoo, in the longer-term we know that she needs to be with other elephants and a new herd at Monarto Safari park would be a brilliant option for her future forever home.โ
Zoos SAโs giant fundraising plans will include a fun run and World Elephant Day celebrations as well as seeking support from local businesses and partners.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
If you haven’t donated yet, there’s still time to be part of history. All donations received will still go towards the Asian Elephant project and contribute to things like food for the elephants.
Zoos SA is a conservation charity. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
Meet The Herd
About Putra Mas And Permai
Putra Mas and Permai arrived at Perth Zoo at around three-years-old in 1992. Living in a small herd with matriarch Tricia (who passed in 2022) and elephant Teduh (who passed in 2007), the elephants quickly developed strong friendships with their keepers, and their big personalities captured the hearts of the Perth community.
Permai (pictured above) is best known for her mischievous and cheeky personality โ she loves to be the centre of attention and sheโs known among keepers as a bit of a rascal.
But through the cheekiness, sheโs an incredibly loyal and affectionate elephant who loves companionship. Sheโs also an active gardener and likes to โhelpโ the horticulture team with tree pruning wherever she can โ even though they donโt ask for it!
After the loss of matriarch Tricia in 2022, Permai felt deep grief. She leaned heavily on the company of her dedicated keepers, and while sheโs regained her spark, she still misses her old elephant friend and the company of other females.
Now, Permai remains the only female elephant at Perth Zoo and she desperately needs a forever home with an elephant herd.
Putra Mas translates to โgolden princeโ and heโs certainly earned his namesake! He is as smart as he is cheeky, and heโs quick to vocalise and trumpet away when heโs happy, as in the photo above!
Putra Mas has grown into an incredibly strong and remarkably intelligent bull elephant. In fact, his intelligence continues to blow keepers away!
While working with him from a safe distance, keepers say Putra Mas is able to understand new training programs very quickly and with ease. Itโs incredible to watch him understand his keepers and play games with them like soccer and relay races.
Putra Mas has also played an important role in the speciesโ regional breeding program, introducing new and valuable genetics into the pool. In 2018, he sired a calf through artificial insemination, a female born in NSW.
While male elephants are solitary in the wild, Putra Mas needs more space than Perth Zooโs inner-city site can provide.
Burma was born in 1982 in Myanmar (formerly Burma) where she spent her early years at a logging camp. She came to Auckland Zoo in 1990 at eight years old.
Now 40 years old, Burma has matured into a lovely gentle elephant – still very energetic and playful, but slightly less mischievous!
Auckland Zooโs older female elephant Kashin became her constant companion until she passed away in 2009.
Asian elephant Anjalee arrived in 2015 (aged eight) before moving to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Australia in March 2022. The two elephants enjoyed a friendship and each otherโs company.
Thanks to the skills and dedication of the team at Auckland Zoo to meet Burmaโs needs, she is continuing to do well while her team continue to work hard to find her a new forever home with an elephant family herd and environment that will best meet her needs and ensure her future long-term wellbeing.
To donate and find out more go to: elephants.monartosafari.com.au
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Monarto Safari Park website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: all images supplied by Zoos SA
SUBSCRIBE
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!