Monarto Safari Park’s elephant enclosure with Burma to open this weekend
A month after she made the jumbo-sized move from New Zealand, Monarto Safari Park’s first Asian elephant is ready to meet South Australians.
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A month after she made the jumbo-sized move from New Zealand, Monarto Safari Park’s first Asian elephant is ready to meet South Australians.
On Friday, 42-year-old Burma – who arrived in SA in November – officially completed her quarantine period and was able to explore her new habitat for the very first time.
Her enclosure will be open to the public from tomorrow.
Andrew Coers, one of the dedicated elephant team who travelled with Burma from Auckland Zoo, said he was very happy with how she had adapted to her new environment.
“She’s settled in really well, the whole team is really pleased with how she’s going,” Mr Coers said.
“Naturally there’s been some moments that have taken her a bit by surprise, the sounds are
very different here and her first encounter with kangaroos the other day was a new
experience, but she keeps taking it all in and I’m incredibly proud of both Burma and the
team for how well she’s settled in.”
It’s been 30 years since SA had a resident elephant and the zoo encouraged non-members to pre-book tickets when planning to see her. Members do not need to book.
According to the zoo, Burma spent the first years of her life working in a logging camp. At the age of eight she moved to Auckland Zoo.
For the past two years, she had been on her own there after her buddy Anjalee moved to Sydney to be part of a breeding program.
It was a mammoth day at the zoo with the completion of Burma’s quarantine coinciding with the announcement she would be joined by a female elephant from Perth Zoo six months ahead of schedule.
34-year-old Permai will travel across the Nullarbor by road late next month, after her crate training went “exceptionally well,” Perth Zoo said in a statement.
“This means it is possible to accelerate plans to unite the two lone female elephants who typically live in matriarchal herds.”
Perth Zoo’s male elephant, Putra Mas, will remain in Western Australia until mid-late 2025, as originally planned.
Taronga Zoo’s 31-year-old female Pak Boon and 25-year-old female Tang Mo, will arrive by the end of 2025, according to the zoo.
Also this weekend, SA is set to welcome its two new giant pandas.
Yi Lan and Xing Qiu will touch down in Adelaide early on Sunday morning.
The pair will quickly be whisked away to Adelaide Zoo, where they will spend several weeks in quarantine.
The zoo’s bamboo forest will be closed during that time.
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Originally published as Monarto Safari Park’s elephant enclosure with Burma to open this weekend
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