It’s elephant time at Monarto Safari Park
The first of the park’s new Asian elephants, Burma, is out of quarantine and on public display.
The first of Monarto Safari Park’s new elephants is ready to meet you.
Burma the Asian elephant finished her quarantine period on Friday and wandered out into her new habitat, a month after her arrival from Auckland Zoo.
She has a three-hectare enclosure to explore, complete with a waterhole and public viewing areas.
She’ll have the place to herself until January, when the first of four new friends – Permai, from Perth – will come to join her.
Auckland Zoo elephant keeper Andrew Coers, who has helped look after Burma for the past 25 years, said he and the team were happy with her progress.
“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,” he said.
“It’s wonderful to see her out of the smaller quarantine yard and tentatively exploring the wider habitat.
“She was a bit hesitant at first, not sure what to do or where to go, but the team’s been here beside her the whole time and like everything else this past month, she’s just taking it all in her stride.”
Mr Coers and two other elephant keepers from Auckland, Corryn Coers and Odin Neil, planned on sticking around for as long as Burma needed.
Burma has been settling into her new home nicely. Photos: Zoos SA.
Monarto’s herd will grow to five elephants over the course of the next year, as Burma is joined by Permai and Putri Mas from Perth Zoo and Pak Boon and Tang Mo from Taronga Zoo, in Sydney.
Park director Peter Clark looked forward to it.
“Female elephants are highly social, and typically live in matriarchal herds,” he said.
“We’re bringing these elephants together here because we know they’ll contribute to and benefit from being part of a more natural herd structure and social dynamic.
“With Burma settled in really well here at Monarto Safari Park, and Permai hitting all the key milestones in the training and preparation for her travel, we’re really pleased to be able to bring these two girls together to start what will hopefully be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
The park was able to build its new elephant enclosure after a mammoth fundraising campaign last year, one which produced $2 million in less than a month.
Book your tickets before you visit
Meanwhile, between the elephant excitement and the usual busy-ness of school holidays, Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted noted that the park had made a change to its ticketing system.
Effective immediately, safari park visitors will need to book their tickets online before they arrive.
- Tickets:$49 at www.monartosafari.com.au/tickets.
