Monarto Safari Park Monarto Safari Park News 2025

[Zoofan15]

Is that Burma the solid-looking one on the left?

Yes, that’s Burma in the first clip; followed by Permai in the second clip (outstretching her trunk from a further distance).

Combined with the photo of Burma and Pak Boon/Tang Mo sleeping in adjacent stalls, it appears a deliberate move to have these elephants close together over Permai and Pak Boon/Tang Mo. Most likely for the reasons I’ve identified above.

 

[Sunbear12]

I made a quick trip to Monarto today to try and see the new elephants and the construction progress on the exhibit.

Burma was in the current main enclosure while Pak Boon and Tang Mo were visible in one of the outdoor yards attached to the barn. Permai was unseen and presumably remained in the barn.

I have uploaded a photo showing the current elephant exhibit and the construction on the remaining habitat. At present only area 1 shown on the map on the previous page is in full use. This area is the cloverleaf habitat which previously held black rhino and only underwent small renovations for the elephants.

Elephant 'Cloverleaf' Enclosure

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

The current main enclosure being used by the elephants

Ongoing Construction on Elephant Platform

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

Shows the construction site for the new elephant viewing platform and their large waterhole

The remainder of the elephants are held across the barn and three adjacent small yards.

The fencing posts are up in area 2 and 3 but the cable is yet to be run between the posts to complete the yards. Construction is continuing in area 2 for the concrete pool, visitor access tunnel and visitor viewing platform.

Area 3 is currently roped off temporarily with none of the fence cable complete and within the quarantine zone for the newly arrived elephants and it is unclear if construction will be possible in this area till this is completed. No works were being completed in this area today.

Area 5 is hard to view but from the parts that I could see it appears the fencing is complete and it may be possible for elephants to use this space but they would be effectively off display while in this area.

No construction is visible in the space which is marked as area 4 behind the current black rhino enclosure though a small tractor was working in this area today so potentially works are commencing.

Have they got a concrete pool or will they get one in the future if they don't have one already?

At present the elephants have access to the one clay-lined waterhole in the cloverleaf habitat. They also have a range of smaller water tubes (roughly one trunk wide) across the exhibit which they can use to drink and bathe.

The other four pools are within the under construction habitats. The concrete pool is shown under construction in the image above.

In regards to the night barn have they just upgraded the barn that was there already or have they also built a new barn recently?

The current barn is the the upgraded black rhino/elephant barn. One wall was removed and a new section erected which roughly doubled the size of the original. Three yards are connected to the outside and several raceways (currently blocked off) will connect to the various paddocks.

No other barns are currently visible. The space marked future elephant barn on the map currently houses a site office and the crates used to transport the various elephants.

 

[Johnpaul21]

I’d say that’s first and foremost a reflection of Pak Boon’s status as matriarch of the Taronga duo. She has the responsibility of checking out anything new that could be a potential threat to her herd.

Although it’s early days (just over 24 hours in), the initial tactile contact appears more friendly than then intertwining of trunks between Burma and Permai in the early stages of their introduction that indicated they were testing each other’s strength.

It’s interesting to note that two videos have now showed Burma in closer proximity to the Taronga cows than Permai. This suggests they’re working with the configuration of the stalls to restrict Permai’s interactions with them compared to Burma’s (who not only is the anticipated matriarch; but a calmer individual).

Yeah what some thought was all love with that video of Burma and Permai intertwining trunks it was actually a different behavior to what people thought. A docent saw the same video and said Pemai and Putra Mas used to do that when they were younger as play fighting and was never a way that elephants show love- when they show love it's more gentle- as she said you can see when they are expressing love as Permai would just touch his trunk though the bars and he would vocalise.

 

[Zoofan15]

I made a quick trip to Monarto today to try and see the new elephants and the construction progress on the exhibit.

Burma was in the current main enclosure while Pak Boon and Tang Mo were visible in one of the outdoor yards attached to the barn. Permai was unseen and presumably remained in the barn.

I have uploaded a photo showing the current elephant exhibit and the construction on the remaining habitat. At present only area 1 shown on the map on the previous page is in full use. This area is the cloverleaf habitat which previously held black rhino and only underwent small renovations for the elephants.

Elephant 'Cloverleaf' Enclosure

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

The current main enclosure being used by the elephants

Ongoing Construction on Elephant Platform

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

Shows the construction site for the new elephant viewing platform and their large waterhole

The remainder of the elephants are held across the barn and three adjacent small yards.

The fencing posts are up in area 2 and 3 but the cable is yet to be run between the posts to complete the yards. Construction is continuing in area 2 for the concrete pool, visitor access tunnel and visitor viewing platform.

Area 3 is currently roped off temporarily with none of the fence cable complete and within the quarantine zone for the newly arrived elephants and it is unclear if construction will be possible in this area till this is completed. No works were being completed in this area today.

Area 5 is hard to view but from the parts that I could see it appears the fencing is complete and it may be possible for elephants to use this space but they would be effectively off display while in this area.

No construction is visible in the space which is marked as area 4 behind the current black rhino enclosure though a small tractor was working in this area today so potentially works are commencing.



At present the elephants have access to the one clay-lined waterhole in the cloverleaf habitat. They also have a range of smaller water tubes (roughly one trunk wide) across the exhibit which they can use to drink and bathe.

The other four pools are within the under construction habitats. The concrete pool is shown under construction in the image above.



The current barn is the the upgraded black rhino/elephant barn. One wall was removed and a new section erected which roughly doubled the size of the original. Three yards are connected to the outside and several raceways (currently blocked off) will connect to the various paddocks.

No other barns are currently visible. The space marked future elephant barn on the map currently houses a site office and the crates used to transport the various elephants.

Thank you for the update @Sunbear12.

The elephant complex requires far more construction work than I anticipated, but they clearly have the facilities to manage the elephants on site at present (especially factoring in the use of the barn/indoor stall) in multiple groups.

Hopefully the Taronga cows can be integrated with Burma fairly rapidly to ensure all three can have maximum opportunities to utilise the available outdoor space.

That’s interesting to hear a second barn is nowhere in sight. With Putra Mas scheduled to arrive next month, the plan appears to be for him to share the existing barn with the cows (albeit in his own stall of course).

 

[Jambo]

That’s interesting to hear a second barn is nowhere in sight. With Putra Mas scheduled to arrive next month, the plan appears to be for him to share the existing barn with the cows (albeit in his own stall of course).

It's interesting as bulls aren't usually kept in the same barn as the cows overnight. Obviously it's something that hasn't been done in a long time, and I do wonder whether in this case they'll have some sort of dividing barrier that they'll erect for Putra Mas, so he's not essentially sharing the 'same space' visually as the cows.

I presume Putra Mas will temporarily get the side Permai's currently in, which appears to be the old part of the barn. From what I've seen in photos, it appears there's one large pen and then two smaller ones in the newer extension of the barn, so all four cows could still be accommodated assuming Tang Mo and Pak Boon sleep together in the larger pen.

 

[Zoofan15]

It's interesting as bulls aren't usually kept in the same barn as the cows overnight. Obviously it's something that hasn't been done in a long time, and I do wonder whether in this case they'll have some sort of dividing barrier that they'll erect for Putra Mas, so he's not essentially sharing the 'same space' visually as the cows.

I presume Putra Mas will temporarily get the side Permai's currently in, which appears to be the old part of the barn. From what I've seen in photos, it appears there's one large pen and then two smaller ones in the newer extension of the barn, so all four cows could still be accommodated assuming Tang Mo and Pak Boon sleep together in the larger pen.

Hopefully it won’t be too long until a bull barn can be constructed for Putra Mas as it’s not ideal to have him housed in such close proximity to the cows 24/7.

It’s possible a screen will be set up, but considering how aware elephants are of each other’s presence, it will do little to distract from the fact he’s there.

The bull barn will be invaluable in the future should Monarto breed in facilitating the transition of a bull calf out of the matriarchal herd. The natural progression would be for the young bull to spend increasing amounts of time with Putra Mas, who would ideally fulfill a mentor role.

 

[Johnpaul21]

Hopefully it won’t be too long until a bull barn can be constructed for Putra Mas as it’s not ideal to have him housed in such close proximity to the cows 24/7.

It’s possible a screen will be set up, but considering how aware elephants are of each other’s presence, it will do little to distract from the fact he’s there.

The bull barn will be invaluable in the future should Monarto breed in facilitating the transition of a bull calf out of the matriarchal herd. The natural progression would be for the young bull to spend increasing amounts of time with Putra Mas, who would ideally fulfill a mentor role.

Yeah personally a screen wouldn't really do much, as mentioned elephants are very aware of each other through vocalisations, Putra Mas being extremely vocal for that matter would definitely make him self present. And a screen between him and Permai wouldn't be necessary at all due to them previously always being in contact with each other. So if they really had to it would only really need to be between the other 3 females.

 

[Zoofan15]

Yeah personally a screen wouldn't really do much, as mentioned elephants are very aware of each other through vocalisations, Putra Mas being extremely vocal for that matter would definitely make him self present. And a screen between him and Permai wouldn't be necessary at all due to them previously always being in contact with each other. So if they really had to it would only really need to be between the other 3 females.

Permai might even find it comforting to see a familiar elephant (even if it is a bull). It’s clear that even for those who grow up together, the bonds between bulls and cows are very weak compared to what you see in a matriarchal herd however - similar to the relationship between Bong Su and Mek Kepah at Melbourne.

Permai could be housed in the closest stall to Permai, meaning she’d be the screen between Putra Mas and the other cows if they felt that was necessary.

 

[Johnpaul21]

Permai might even find it comforting to see a familiar elephant (even if it is a bull). It’s clear that even for those who grow up together, the bonds between bulls and cows are very weak compared to what you see in a matriarchal herd however - similar to the relationship between Bong Su and Mek Kepah at Melbourne.

Permai could be housed in the closest stall to Permai, meaning she’d be the screen between Putra Mas and the other cows if they felt that was necessary.

Yeah thats a good idea @Zoofan15 of using Permai almost as a sheild. Whilst there relationship isn't what she had with Tricia docents have said that they had a very strong bond and the first they they would do every morning was visit each other Hopefully his arrival will help settle Permai in.

 

[Trua]

I made a quick trip to Monarto today to try and see the new elephants and the construction progress on the exhibit.

Burma was in the current main enclosure while Pak Boon and Tang Mo were visible in one of the outdoor yards attached to the barn. Permai was unseen and presumably remained in the barn.

I have uploaded a photo showing the current elephant exhibit and the construction on the remaining habitat. At present only area 1 shown on the map on the previous page is in full use. This area is the cloverleaf habitat which previously held black rhino and only underwent small renovations for the elephants.

Elephant 'Cloverleaf' Enclosure

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

The current main enclosure being used by the elephants

Ongoing Construction on Elephant Platform

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

Shows the construction site for the new elephant viewing platform and their large waterhole

The remainder of the elephants are held across the barn and three adjacent small yards.

The fencing posts are up in area 2 and 3 but the cable is yet to be run between the posts to complete the yards. Construction is continuing in area 2 for the concrete pool, visitor access tunnel and visitor viewing platform.

Area 3 is currently roped off temporarily with none of the fence cable complete and within the quarantine zone for the newly arrived elephants and it is unclear if construction will be possible in this area till this is completed. No works were being completed in this area today.

Area 5 is hard to view but from the parts that I could see it appears the fencing is complete and it may be possible for elephants to use this space but they would be effectively off display while in this area.

No construction is visible in the space which is marked as area 4 behind the current black rhino enclosure though a small tractor was working in this area today so potentially works are commencing.



At present the elephants have access to the one clay-lined waterhole in the cloverleaf habitat. They also have a range of smaller water tubes (roughly one trunk wide) across the exhibit which they can use to drink and bathe.

The other four pools are within the under construction habitats. The concrete pool is shown under construction in the image above.



The current barn is the the upgraded black rhino/elephant barn. One wall was removed and a new section erected which roughly doubled the size of the original. Three yards are connected to the outside and several raceways (currently blocked off) will connect to the various paddocks.

No other barns are currently visible. The space marked future elephant barn on the map currently houses a site office and the crates used to transport the various elephants.

Thanks for this update on the new structures and paddocks @Sunbear12. Looks like a good size. Keen to see Pak Boon and Tang Mo settle in over the next few months.

 

[Zorro]

I made a quick trip to Monarto today to try and see the new elephants and the construction progress on the exhibit.

Burma was in the current main enclosure while Pak Boon and Tang Mo were visible in one of the outdoor yards attached to the barn. Permai was unseen and presumably remained in the barn.

I have uploaded a photo showing the current elephant exhibit and the construction on the remaining habitat. At present only area 1 shown on the map on the previous page is in full use. This area is the cloverleaf habitat which previously held black rhino and only underwent small renovations for the elephants.

Elephant 'Cloverleaf' Enclosure

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

The current main enclosure being used by the elephants

Ongoing Construction on Elephant Platform

• Sunbear12
• 1 May 2025

Shows the construction site for the new elephant viewing platform and their large waterhole

The remainder of the elephants are held across the barn and three adjacent small yards.

The fencing posts are up in area 2 and 3 but the cable is yet to be run between the posts to complete the yards. Construction is continuing in area 2 for the concrete pool, visitor access tunnel and visitor viewing platform.

Area 3 is currently roped off temporarily with none of the fence cable complete and within the quarantine zone for the newly arrived elephants and it is unclear if construction will be possible in this area till this is completed. No works were being completed in this area today.

Area 5 is hard to view but from the parts that I could see it appears the fencing is complete and it may be possible for elephants to use this space but they would be effectively off display while in this area.

No construction is visible in the space which is marked as area 4 behind the current black rhino enclosure though a small tractor was working in this area today so potentially works are commencing.



At present the elephants have access to the one clay-lined waterhole in the cloverleaf habitat. They also have a range of smaller water tubes (roughly one trunk wide) across the exhibit which they can use to drink and bathe.

The other four pools are within the under construction habitats. The concrete pool is shown under construction in the image above.



The current barn is the the upgraded black rhino/elephant barn. One wall was removed and a new section erected which roughly doubled the size of the original. Three yards are connected to the outside and several raceways (currently blocked off) will connect to the various paddocks.

No other barns are currently visible. The space marked future elephant barn on the map currently houses a site office and the crates used to transport the various elephants.

Thank you for the update and so glad to hear they are getting a concrete pool I hope its a deep one like Werribee's.

 

[Swanson02]

Permai might even find it comforting to see a familiar elephant (even if it is a bull). It’s clear that even for those who grow up together, the bonds between bulls and cows are very weak compared to what you see in a matriarchal herd however - similar to the relationship between Bong Su and Mek Kepah at Melbourne.

Permai could be housed in the closest stall to Permai, meaning she’d be the screen between Putra Mas and the other cows if they felt that was necessary.

I doubt Putra Mas will be at Monarto by late June. I couldn't see them transfering him until atleast September/October.

The bull Barn is still 6 months off imo, so he'll likely have to cohabit with the cows for a few months. I'm pretty sure the cow Barn has 4 stalls currently so they'd be at max capacity.

My theory is Putra Mas' transfer was mostly delayed due to the tight housing situation. With there being a further social/stress risk of housing him in a shared Barn with the cows for an extended period. Musth was only part of the reason his transfer was delayed, but provided a good reasoning so Monarto wouldn't have to publically admit they are behind on the construction program.

Tbh the construction schedule was a bit ambitious in the beginning anyway. As an engineer we know delays are a guarantee.

Furthermore, I wouldn't expect Permai to be fully introduced to the three other cows until Putra Mas is at Monarto. He's a familiar face for her and introducing him to the three other cows first then later with her, could provide her with a bit of a buffer/distraction. I.e. run behind him if it gets too much. Saying that I don't know how well he'll go with three other cows, hopefully they can form a bit of a coalition if he gets too pushy and dominating. I especially worry for Burma, she's the eldest, doesn't have the support like Tang Mo and Pak Boon and is the most unfamiliar with bulls. So Putra Mas could be a quite distressing for her.

If Permai were to be introduced to any of the cows prior to Putra Mas arriving, my guess would be Tang Mo, she's probably the most passive cow and would submit to Permai rather than fight back, unlike Burma and probably Pak Boon.

 

[Zoofan15]

I doubt Putra Mas will be at Monarto by late June. I couldn't see them transfering him until atleast September/October.

The bull Barn is still 6 months off imo, so he'll likely have to cohabit with the cows for a few months. I'm pretty sure the cow Barn has 4 stalls currently so they'd be at max capacity.

My theory is Putra Mas' transfer was mostly delayed due to the tight housing situation. With there being a further social/stress risk of housing him in a shared Barn with the cows for an extended period. Musth was only part of the reason his transfer was delayed, but provided a good reasoning so Monarto wouldn't have to publically admit they are behind on the construction program.

Tbh the construction schedule was a bit ambitious in the beginning anyway. As an engineer we know delays are a guarantee.

Furthermore, I wouldn't expect Permai to be fully introduced to the three other cows until Putra Mas is at Monarto. He's a familiar face for her and introducing him to the three other cows first then later with her, could provide her with a bit of a buffer/distraction. I.e. run behind him if it gets too much. Saying that I don't know how well he'll go with three other cows, hopefully they can form a bit of a coalition if he gets too pushy and dominating. I especially worry for Burma, she's the eldest, doesn't have the support like Tang Mo and Pak Boon and is the most unfamiliar with bulls. So Putra Mas could be a quite distressing for her.

If Permai were to be introduced to any of the cows prior to Putra Mas arriving, my guess would be Tang Mo, she's probably the most passive cow and would submit to Permai rather than fight back, unlike Burma and probably Pak Boon.

I too could see Putra Mas transferring later this year (instead of the original timeframe of June). Perth Zoo are able to hold him without issue for longer (it’s not like his welfare would be compromised like a cow living in isolation) and as long as they don’t delay it so long he goes through another musth cycle, there’s no harm in putting it off longer (especially if it enables specialised facilities to be built for him to eliminate the need for him to share a barn with the cows).

The only downside to this is it further delays Pak Boon in conceiving. She hasn’t had a calf in eight years and they’re definitely pushing the limits now with regards to her conceiving again.

I’m not expecting Putra Mas to have a great deal of contact with the cows. Three of them are non-viable breeders and there’s no juveniles in the herd that would benefit from being exposed to a bull entering the herd (with regards to observing breeding behaviour). It could well prove enriching to have them all mingle on occasion; but otherwise the main focus would be a breeding introduction between him and Pak Boon. Monarto will have multiple paddocks, so there’s no need for them to spend time together unnecessarily.

 

[Zorro]

I doubt Putra Mas will be at Monarto by late June. I couldn't see them transfering him until atleast September/October.

The bull Barn is still 6 months off imo, so he'll likely have to cohabit with the cows for a few months. I'm pretty sure the cow Barn has 4 stalls currently so they'd be at max capacity.

My theory is Putra Mas' transfer was mostly delayed due to the tight housing situation. With there being a further social/stress risk of housing him in a shared Barn with the cows for an extended period. Musth was only part of the reason his transfer was delayed, but provided a good reasoning so Monarto wouldn't have to publically admit they are behind on the construction program.

Tbh the construction schedule was a bit ambitious in the beginning anyway. As an engineer we know delays are a guarantee.

Furthermore, I wouldn't expect Permai to be fully introduced to the three other cows until Putra Mas is at Monarto. He's a familiar face for her and introducing him to the three other cows first then later with her, could provide her with a bit of a buffer/distraction. I.e. run behind him if it gets too much. Saying that I don't know how well he'll go with three other cows, hopefully they can form a bit of a coalition if he gets too pushy and dominating. I especially worry for Burma, she's the eldest, doesn't have the support like Tang Mo and Pak Boon and is the most unfamiliar with bulls. So Putra Mas could be a quite distressing for her.

If Permai were to be introduced to any of the cows prior to Putra Mas arriving, my guess would be Tang Mo, she's probably the most passive cow and would submit to Permai rather than fight back, unlike Burma and probably Pak Boon.

I am just wondering when they will break ground for the new barn considering how much more work there is to go with fencing, a new concrete pool ect. Also I guess they will be planting quite a few trees before they consider it finished!

 

[Zorro]

I too could see Putra Mas transferring later this year (instead of the original timeframe of June). Perth Zoo are able to hold him without issue for longer (it’s not like his welfare would be compromised like a cow living in isolation) and as long as they don’t delay it so long he goes through another musth cycle, there’s no harm in putting it off longer (especially if it enables specialised facilities to be built for him to eliminate the need for him to share a barn with the cows).

The only downside to this is it further delays Pak Boon in conceiving. She hasn’t had a calf in eight years and they’re definitely pushing the limits now with regards to her conceiving again.

I’m not expecting Putra Mas to have a great deal of contact with the cows. Three of them are non-viable breeders and there’s no juveniles in the herd that would benefit from being exposed to a bull entering the herd (with regards to observing breeding behaviour). It could well prove enriching to have them all mingle on occasion; but otherwise the main focus would be a breeding introduction between him and Pak Boon. Monarto will have multiple paddocks, so there’s no need for them to spend time together unnecessarily.

This makes the chose of AI even more likely since there is a fair chance he won't breed naturally anyway, If they want a calf time is going against them!

 

[Jambo]

This makes the chose of AI even more likely since there is a fair chance he won't breed naturally anyway, If they want a calf time is going against them!

The problem is Pak Boon may not be trained for AI! So that could present another issue in itself.

 

[Zoofan15]

This makes the chose of AI even more likely since there is a fair chance he won't breed naturally anyway, If they want a calf time is going against them!

The problem is Pak Boon may not be trained for AI! So that could present another issue in itself.

It would definitely be worth investigating AI so as to avoid further delay. When Gung shipped out of Taronga, there was presumably a plan to undertake AI with Pak Boon (and Tukta), so it wouldn’t surprise me if she was trained for AI.

 

[Jambo]

It would definitely be worth investigating AI so as to avoid further delay. When Gung shipped out of Taronga, there was presumably a plan to undertake AI with Pak Boon (and Tukta), so it wouldn’t surprise me if she was trained for AI.

I don't believe there was ever any plans to breed Pak Boon and Tukta via AI - in fact from what I've heard they intended to receive a new bull in the future. I've always thought Pathi Harn would've been the perfect option, but even then they may have also considered one of the Sydney bulls.

Anyhow, Tukta tragically passed the same year Gung left, then Covid hit and Jai Dee also tragically passed which really threw a spanner in the works for any future breeding at Taronga and the growth of their herd.

 

[Zoofan15]

I don't believe there was ever any plans to breed Pak Boon and Tukta via AI - in fact from what I've heard they intended to receive a new bull in the future. I've always thought Pathi Harn would've been the perfect option, but even then they may have also considered one of the Sydney bulls.

Anyhow, Tukta tragically passed the same year Gung left, then Covid hit and Jai Dee also tragically passed which really threw a spanner in the works for any future breeding at Taronga and the growth of their herd.

Unfortunately as soon as Taronga moved to PC, it limited the practicalities of breeding on site, with the trailer then needed to transport cows/calves to Gung.

There’s countless possibilities, but had Tukta survived, I could have even anticipated a reconfiguration of the Taronga/Dubbo groupings to see Porntip, Pak Boon and their daughters at Dubbo.

After all, Porntip and Thong Dee only went together as they both had sons and this allowed the young bulls to transition into a bachelor herd.

 

[Jambo]

Unfortunately as soon as Taronga moved to PC, it limited the practicalities of breeding on site, with the trailer then needed to transport cows/calves to Gung.

There’s countless possibilities, but had Tukta survived, I could have even anticipated a reconfiguration of the Taronga/Dubbo groupings to see Porntip, Pak Boon and their daughters at Dubbo.

After all, Porntip and Thong Dee only went together as they both had sons and this allowed the young bulls to transition into a bachelor herd.

Yes, that's why Taronga planned a large extended elephant designed trail that would connect the cow facilities to the bull facilities. That would've allowed the cows to access the bull far easier and without needing to be walked/transported across the zoo to breed.