Monarto Safari Park is now home to TWO elephants and will eventually be welcoming a total of FIVE!
November 2024 Update: Asian Elephant, Burma has safely arrived at Monarto Safari Park after a giant journey from Auckland Zoo.
January 2025 Update: Permai settles into Monarto Safari Park after a 40-hour, 2700km journey across the Nullarbor from Perth (with plenty of peanut butter sandwiches along the way!).
Home is where the herd is, and Monartoβs newest arrival from Perth Zoo is now settling into the elephant barn and exploring her new habitat. Permai has been introduced to Burma after both elephants showed signs they were interested in interacting. While Burma was a little shy at first, they came together to say hello with gentle trunk touches through the mesh βa heart-warming moment!
Both elephants displayed curiosity and calm behaviors toward each other, a great first step toward building their bond for future interactions. Stay tuned for updates on when Permai will be ready to meet visitors in person!
Burma (42 years old), is the first elephant to arrive at the parkβs new world-class 12 hectare elephant habitat, and female Permai is 33 years old. They will be joined over the coming year by three other elephants: male Putra Mas (33) from Perth Zoo, and females Pak Boon (31) and Tang Mo (25) from Taronga Zoo Sydney.
In 2023, Zoos SA put the call out to raise funds for bringing Asian Elephants to Monarto Safari Park. Together, the five Asian Elephants will form a founding herd as part of the Australasian Zoo and Aquarium Associationβs (ZAA) regional breeding and advocacy programme for Asian Elephants β an endangered species with a continuing declining wild population due to habitat loss/fragmentation, and human-elephant conflict.
Managed by the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), this program enables zoos to educate and inspire visitors, contribute to the conservation of wild elephants, ensure the best genetic outcomes with breeding, and work together to provide the best possible care for all elephants in the region.
Works continue at Monarto Safari Park, where there is still more to be done to prepare for the arrival of the other four elephants throughout 2025, plus the additional visitor viewing areas and walking tracks that are being developed.
As is a standard requirement for all international zoo-to-zoo transfers, Burma will be in quarantine at Monarto Safari Park for her first few weeks, where sheβll have the support, familiar company and expert care of her elephant keepers who are travelling with her from New Zealand.
Working alongside their Monarto Safari Park colleagues, three Auckland Zoo elephant team members will stay on with Burma for as long as required to provide her with the familiar, reassuring company and continuity of care that will help her to fully settle into her new environment, and meet and integrate with her new elephant family.
Monarto Safari Park is open seven days a week, from 9:30am to 5:00pm. With demand expected to significantly increase upon Burmaβs arrival, and daily park capacity limited to ensure the best visitor experience, non-members will need to reserve their tickets online to avoid disappointment.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS
April 2024 Update: 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 Parkβs 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.
βItβs really exciting to know that Pak Boon and Tang Mo will be coming to Monarto Safari Park in mid-2025,β said Elaine Bensted, CE of Zoos SA.
βWe look forward to welcoming the two elephants and sharing the conservation story for the endangered Asian Elephants.
βWe canβt 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.
βThe 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,β 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 Parkβs 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 Parkβs new habitat will give initially the three Asian elephants a βforever homeβ 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 βcheeky and mischievousβ, Burma described as βplayful and a gentle giantβ and bull Putra Mas as βliving up to his nameβs meaning of golden prince and known for trumpeting loudly when happyβ, the plans mean thereβs much to wrap oneβs trunk around!
βThere 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. Weβve been working really closely with our counterparts at the zoos and others within the Asian Elephant regional breeding program to make the magic happen. Thereβs just one thing in the way of our vision β we need to raise $2.025 million and fast! And thatβs why Iβm hoping that the community will get behind our fundraising and donate to bring them to South Australia.β said Zoos SA CE, Elaine Bensted.
βAs 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, itβs the right thing to do for these elephants.
βWhile 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 thereβs also limited time with an imminent deadline as ultimately these elephants need new homes whether itβs with us or elsewhere.
βThe elephants come first. Thereβs no doubt about that. Both Perth and Auckland zoos have been very open about the elephants needing to find βforever homesβ that meet the elephantsβ long-term needs.
βSouth Australia has a long-standing history of having elephants at Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park.
βWhen I first heard how excited our Zoo partners were about the possibility of Monarto Safari Park being able to provide a βforever homeβ for Burma, Permai and Putra Mas I reflected on the fact that during Adelaide Zooβs 140th birthday celebration in May so many people approached me and recollected their memories of elephants at Adelaide Zoo.
βThe 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. Thatβs why we are hoping the community will want to see the three elephants at Monarto Safari Park and get behind our fundraising,β 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.
Itβs 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.
βThis is a mammoth day in history for Asian Elephant conservation,β said Claire Wright, Acting Executive Director of Perth Zoo.
βWe 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.
βWhile the staff at Perth Zoo have always provided exemplary love and care to the two elephants, we have been very open that the pairβs social needs come first.
βPerth Zooβs 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.
βA social herd structure is absolutely critical for Permaiβs wellbeing and we look forward to seeing her potentially finding a new friendship with Auckland Zooβs Burma.β
βWe 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,β said Kevin Buley, director of Auckland Zoo.
βAlthough 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.β
Zoos SAβs 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 havenβt donated yet, thereβs 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 β she loves to be the centre of attention and sheβs known among keepers as a bit of a rascal.
But through the cheekiness, sheβs an incredibly loyal and affectionate elephant who loves companionship. Sheβs also an active gardener and likes to βhelpβ the horticulture team with tree pruning wherever she can β even though they donβt 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 sheβs 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 βgolden princeβ and heβs certainly earned his namesake! He is as smart as he is cheeky, and heβs quick to vocalise and trumpet away when heβs 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. Itβs 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 speciesβ 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 Zooβs 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 β still very energetic and playful, but slightly less mischievous!
Auckland Zooβs 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 otherβs company.
Thanks to the skills and dedication of the team at Auckland Zoo to meet Burmaβs 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
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