On the back of a truck and flanked by a police escort, the first male elephant born in Australia has had a dramatic journey to its new home.
Fifteen-year-old Luk Chai is the first of nine Asian elephants to be relocated from Melbourne Zoo in the city’s inner-north to Werribee Open Range Zoo, about 40 kilometres away in Melbourne’s outer south-west.
The mammoth effort to relocate the elephant on Thursday was over within an hour – but not without the help of hundreds of people in a logistics team that included 21 elephant zookeepers, crane and truck logistics experts, dozens of veterinarians, the Department of Transport and Victoria Police.
Luk Chai, born at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo in 2009, weighs in at a hefty 4280 kilograms. Years of training by zookeepers and five years of planning ensured the elephant voluntarily walked into a custom-built air-conditioned crate before its journey to Werribee in the early hours of Thursday.
For a few moments, Luk Chai was airborne as the huge crate was craned onto the back of a truck, before police vehicles escorted the concealed elephant down a freeway.
Luk Chai made the journey to Werribee in a custom-built air-conditioned crate on Thursday.Credit: Zoos Victoria
The crate was opaque black with an “oversize” sign attached to its trailer, and zookeepers were able to monitor the elephant remotely through cameras until it arrived safely at Werribee.
Adult elephants in the herd are being lightly sedated before the move to ease any stress, but the sedative is intended to wear off so the elephants can easily walk out of their crates at their destination.
During the move, the adults wear leg straps, which zookeepers liken to seatbelts they can brace against, making it easier to stand.
“We couldn’t be happier with how Luk Chai travelled, it is a testament to the rigorous planning and preparation that has gone into this transfer by so many people,” Melbourne Zoo senior veterinarian Dr Bonnie McMeekin said.
“He was closely monitored the whole time and was very calm and comfortable for the entire journey.”
It did not take long before Luk Chai wandered out of the crate and began exploring a bull barn at the zoo, where a 21-hectare, $88 million habitat also awaits the rest of the elephant herd.
Trail of the Elephants life sciences manager Erin Gardiner said Luk Chai was keen to engage with trainers after arriving at Werribee.
“He has settled in quickly, already exploring his barn, engaging in training sessions with his keepers and eating and drinking well,” Gardiner said.
The remaining eight elephants at Melbourne Zoo are expected to join Luk Chai at Werribee in the coming days. Exactly when, zookeepers do not know – it is up to the elephants to move voluntarily into their crates, and factors like the weather and health can affect how soon they move.
Luk Chai exploring his new home at Werribee Open Range Zoo.Credit: Zoos Victoria
The elephants are moving because they will have much more space at Werribee – 21 hectares, which is the entire footprint of Melbourne Zoo. In the new enclosure, the nine elephants will have room to roam, wallow in mud and take breaks in the shade.
The herd will be given some quiet time to get used to the new habitat before the public is allowed to view them in the coming weeks.
The matriarch of Luk Chai’s herd, 52-year-old Mek Kapah, arrived at Melbourne Zoo in 1978 – 95 years after the zoo acquired its first elephant in 1883.
The herd’s second-eldest elephant, Dokkoon, 32, relocated to the zoo in November 2006 from Thailand, along with the now 25-year-old Kulab and 24-year-old Num-Oi.
Credit: Matt Golding
Dokkoon birthed Mali, the first female elephant born in Australia, in 2010.
Luk Chai’s name means “son” in Thai, and the elephant was moved to Melbourne Zoo in December 2020 to breed and begin a new bloodline of Asian elephant calves. It has fathered three calves – Aiyara, Roi-Yim and Kati – each with a different female.
The births of the three calves since late 2022 has crowded the elephant habitat at Melbourne Zoo.
The space at Werribee means the elephants will spend more time as a herd, rather than with zookeepers, and form stronger social bonds as a result – although the keepers will accompany the animals to Werribee and keep caring for them there.
Asian elephants in the wild roam across great distances. Research varies, but suggests they can travel about 10 kilometres on an average day.
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