After 34 years as an Aucklander, Burma the Asian elephant has begun her new life in Australia where she will soon join others at Adelaide’s Monarto Safari Park.
The endangered elephant arrived at her new “forever home”, accompanied by Auckland Zoo staff, as the first of five elephants set to occupy the park’s new 12-hectare habitat.
Auckland Zoo veterinary manager Dr James Chatterton, who accompanied Burma throughout her travel, said she’s doing well following her trans-Tasman travel.
“Burma coped exceptionally well throughout her entire road and aircraft journey yesterday. For an elephant travelling for the first time in 34 years, it couldn’t have gone better,” he said.
“This is testament to all of the preparations and planning that went into this move, and to the relationships that Andrew and the team have with Burma.
“As we expected, Burma is tired, though she has had some sleep overnight, and importantly has been eating and drinking, and has peed and pooed, which are all good signs she is doing OK.
“It’s also been great to see her exploring her barn and adjoining yard environment while she is in quarantine. We’ll continue to monitor Burma closely over the coming days as her keepers settle her in.”
Alongside Burma, two elephants from Perth Zoo and two elephants from Taronga Zoo Sydney will form a founding family herd as part of the Australasian Zoo Aquarium Association’s regional advocacy and breeding programme for this endangered species.
The 42-year-old elephant’s arrival at her new home marks the end of an era for Auckland Zoo, where she has been a star attraction since arriving in 1990.
Zoo director Kevin Buley said the completion of the move was a “bittersweet moment” but that it was “the right thing for Burma”.
“Our highest priority has always been to do the right thing for Burma and get her into a situation where she can be part of a larger elephant family herd. Her arrival in Australia is a huge step in that direction,” he said.
“It’s been a long and complicated journey already to get to this point, with the construction of the new habitat at Monarto Safari Park and all the challenges of moving an animal as large as Burma between two countries.”
He added: “It’s been a properly bittersweet moment for us all.
“Whilst we are all upset to have Burma leave us and we will miss her terribly, it is with the knowledge that she is going to an amazing new home in Australia where she will be cared for and loved as much as she was in New Zealand.”
The Asian elephant was born in Myanmar in 1982, where she spent time at a logging camp, before arriving on New Zealand’s shores in 1990.
Zoos South Australia chief executive Elaine Bensted said it was an “exciting day” to welcome Burma to the state.
“It’s been 30 years since an elephant called South Australia home, and the response to our fundraising campaign showed just how much it means to Adelaide’s elephant and conservation-loving community to once again see these awe-inspiring animals,” she said.
“We are honoured that we can support Burma through her twilight years and will have Andrew and the Auckland Zoo team playing such a pivotal role in working alongside our staff to settle her in.
“Our new world-class elephant habitat will cater to Burma and the incoming herd’s complex social needs and structure in a way that is close to how they would live in the wild.”