Perth Zoo Tricia the elephant
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
It was interesting to see the government- not the zoo were the ones who were ensuring they'd find a proper burial site for her. Just goes to show how much she meant to the city of Perth and Western Australia.
Putting her in a museum would've been totally inappropriate and neither the keepers nor the government were a fan of it.
Personally, i'd like to see her buried at Perth Zoo, but if not, Kings Park that overlooks Swan River is another nice location. It's a botanical garden that also serves as a memorial site.
I think only having a small herd over the years contributed to Tricia’s fame. People find it easier to relate to an animal that they can identify versus if she’d been part of a large herd. Thong Dee gave birth to Australia’s first elephant calf, yet I imagine significantly less visitors know her by name - or ever will, even if she lives to 65.
With large herds becoming the norm, this is the end of an era in more ways than one.
I heard in one interview it’d be a spot in the zoo. Unfortunately, I think a public place could leave the site open to interference.
Still remember her as a solitary Ele' as a toddler, it was a big event when Permai, Putra Mas and Teduh arrived in Dec '92 (man they were so cute, and Tricia always looking over them, some days they would take a dip in the pool near the south-end public viewing spot, Putra Mas got little tiny budding tusks after a short time). Even then remember being told Tricia's name, pretty much ever visitor to the zoo knew her name. My aunt mentioned how archaic her previous enclosure was (the one before the Sep '86 completed yard), funny now to think where her and the 3 younger Ele's were over the '90s and very early '00w now is only suitable as a bull yard for Putra Mas (and even then is on the small size by today's standards).
Those three calves greatly enriched Tricia’s life and gave her a purpose after living alone for 21 years. I was curious as to what elephants Tricia lived with over the years and this is what I found:
When Tricia arrived in 1963, Perth Zoo had one female Asian elephant named Tara (1958). She was sold to Sole Brothers Circus in 1965, where she died in a road accident in 1987.
Tricia arrived with another female Asian elephant named Tania (1957). She was sold to Olsens Bird Garden in 1971, where she died of liver problems in 2003.
After Tania’s departure, Tricia lived alone until the arrival of Putra Mas (1989), Permai (1989) and Teduh (1990) in 1992; with Teduh dying in 2007.
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@Zoofan15 I think Teduh was the youngest of the three, estimated to have been born in 1990 sometime. Wow 21 years, Tricia was alone longer than I assumed she was (guestimated she had at least another female Elephant for company until the early 1980s but nope all of the '70s pretty much and all of the '80s on her lonesome, poor Tricia) thanks for the records info man. Find it so deplorable that zoos use to sell some of their Elephants to circuses, always just thought it was the other way around. Wish Tania had stayed at Perth with Tricia (but the trio still came in '92).
Yes, Teduh was the youngest of the three but only by a year. From photos, she seemed quite similar in size. It’s a shame she died so young given Permai lost her same age companion. It was inevitable that Tricia was going to pass on long before Permai and Permai was never able to conceive.
I hadn’t given much thought as to elephants from Tricia’s early years as I assumed she lived on her own (and more or less did). Tricia was a docile female and able to be walked around the zoo etc. I’m wondering if the sale of the other two was influenced by their behaviour combined with the costs of feeding such a large animal. Auckland Zoo similarly sold a young female named Kassala to a Circus in 1957 after she became difficult to manage.
@Zoofan15 The passing of the older female Ele' in 1961 (you mentioned her name in previous post I forget in this moment) was what put a stop (thank god) to the Elephant rides at Perth (I commend Melbourne Zoo and Perth Zoo for stopping it in the very early '60s as opposed to Taronga in '76 and Adelaide in '82 or '83). I assumed that Tricia lived alongside Tania as saw a black and white photo of them as little Eles' not long after their arrival (am trying to find a copy of the photo). That bird park Tania went to was somewhere in Queensland right?
That was Ranee. She was wild born 1903, arrived 1921 and died 24/12/1961 at Perth Zoo.
Elephant rides are truly something of the past, though there were threats of reviving it at Taronga (thankfully they saw sense). Auckland Zoo similarly phased out elephant rides in 1965, following Jamuna’s death. They were actually cancelled over Christmas 1964 due to her ill health, so I’m not sure if they actually resumed prior to her death nine months later.
Yes, Olsens Bird Garden was located in Currumbin, Gold Coast. Tania was their only elephant.
Here’s a photo of Tania and Tricia: THE SOUTH PERTH ZOO HAS TWO NEW 'VACUUM | WestPix
@Zoofan15 Wow the Gold Coast really has had a lot of animal facilities over the last six decades starting with David Fleay's Park, Currumbin and Natureland Zoo (plus one of the Bullens Safari parks not far off) and obviously Seaworld and Dreamworld later on, but now just learn that Olsen's Bird Park was there too (only bird park am sure has ever been home to any Elephant for 30+ years too). My grandmother would have ridden Ranee as a child in the 1930s (she just remembers riding an Elephant at Perth Zoo as a child). Yeah under Guy Cooper's bizarre directorship of Taronga it seems he had to be talked down by senior keepers and staff at Taronga to just accommodating five of the Thai imported Eles' from '06 and that reviving the riding practice would have been met with (extremely justifiable) outrage by the general public and keepers alike.
That's a great photo btw, saw one from the same time period that saved to old laptop in 2016 but that laptop broke so can't retrieve the photo to share.
Actually with Putra Mas have no knowledge of what his adult temperament is like, just hoped he might be a possibility for company for poor Permai as with PZ's determination to send those two east am not holding my breath that Burma may have a temporary home keeping company with Permai while their future 'bigger pastures' are being organised (though would be nice for Permai and Burma if Perth could take Burma for a few years).
That's a great photo btw, saw one from the same time period that saved to old laptop in 2016 but that laptop broke so can't retrieve the photo to share.
Actually with Putra Mas have no knowledge of what his adult temperament is like, just hoped he might be a possibility for company for poor Permai as with PZ's determination to send those two east am not holding my breath that Burma may have a temporary home keeping company with Permai while their future 'bigger pastures' are being organised (though would be nice for Permai and Burma if Perth could take Burma for a few years).
A bird park was the last zoological facility I expected to see an elephant! It’s sad she lived in solitary confinement for three decades, while Tricia faced a similar fate at Perth for almost as long. It wasn’t uncommon, with Kashin at Auckland Zoo living alone for close to eight years before Burma’s arrival in 1990. You’d think she’d be pleased to have company, but took two years to warm to Burma.
I think Putra Mas could be a welcome distraction for Permai. Given he’s not a cow, I don’t think they could ever bond on the same level cows within a matriarchal herd would though. I think Burma would be a great companion. They may never fully bond given their ages and being unrelated (even Burma and Anjalee weren’t inseparable), but any company is better than none re. both Putra Mas and Burma.
@Zoofan15 Agree with you wholeheartedly, cheers for the info too about how Burma was responded to upon her arrival by Kashin. Am glad Tricia bonded well with the 3 littlies though in the video link you shared one of her keepers did say at first she sort of ignored them but then the bond seemed to happen especially with Permai and Teduh.
From everything I’ve heard in a captive setting, cows seem to take very well to calves - they bring out their nurturing instinct. Mixing adult cows is more difficult and can bring out rivalries from both sides, while adolescents are a mixed bag.
Kashin doted on Koru, an African elephant calf Auckland Zoo imported in 1983. She died a few months later and Kashin grieved heavily. Burma was an adolescent of eight, so while Kashin didn’t regard her as a threat, she wasn’t a calf she instantly took to.
Malini (also eight on arrival) had a similar reception from Jamuna, when she arrived in 1961. They soon became good friends.
It's interesting; Burma didn't get along with the other cows at Dubbo whereas Mek Kapah accepted two juvenile cows and an adult. I think it really depends on the cows personality.
It seems Porntip and Thong Dee at Dubbo have losely accepted Anjalee which makes the most sense due to their personalities. Tang Mo may have at Taronga, and i'd imagine most if not all of the Melbourne females would've bonded with Anjalee.
I think Anjalee has won favour in Dubbo’s herd through her relationship with Kanlaya. This would have helped Porntip warm to her, observing her as a positive influence rather than a threat.
Past experience would also influence behaviour. Kashin had a competitive relationship with Ma Schwe (who was four years older). Ma Schwe wouldn’t let Kashin play with enrichment items such as tyres and Kashin in turn repeated this behaviour with Burma.
Before this "fact" gets too embedded in everyone's minds I would like to point out that Tania did not live "in solitary confinement for three decades". She lived with other elephants until the last year or so of her life. Olsen's was her retirement home and, even then, she shared with another elephant for quite some time. Unfortunately my ageing grey matter can't now recall which one died first.
Thanks for sharing Steve. I'm glad to hear she had company during this time. It would be interesting to know Perth's reasons for moving her on, but presumably a mixture of cost and behavioural management issues.
I'm glad modern husbandry practices recognise the importance of companionship in this species, ideally a multigenerational herd.
Interestingly there's no trace of this other female elephant. Apparently they were from Ashtons circus, and the only other two elephants alive at the time at Ashtons were Abu (died in 2002) and Gigi (relocated to Stardust circus). From records it seems to show the trio were living together, as Gigi was sent to Stardust following Tania's death in 2003 which would make sense if Gigi was residing at Olsens Bird Park at the same time.
Yes, you are right - that jogs my memory! Abu was quite a bit older than the other two and died at a private property not long before the other two moved to Olsen's. Tania died in 2003 - possibly from a snake [ Coastal Taipan?] bite. The area at Olsen's where they were living was quite overgrown.
Rather than Gigi staying on her own, she moved to Stardust to accompany Arna - who was also on her own at that time.
Tania certainly had "behavioural issues" which were too much for the then keepers at Perth - hence her sale to Ashtons. She was very particular about her human associates! Had she stayed at the zoo one can only speculate as to her fate.
In searching I came across this page from @jay, which details them at Ashton's: The Elephants of Ashtons Circus
It does indeed sound like Tanya was a troublemaker. Another article details how she pushed another elephant (Abu) off her pedestal in a show in 1999, leading to a girl getting injured in the audience.
Abu wasn't without incidents herself, having killed three people from 1974-1987.
Tanya died in 2003 of liver problems.
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