It will be interesting to see in what order they will do the introductions I assume his female companion from Perth Zoo will be the first but whatever way they go its will be fascinating to see how all this unfolds!
Monarto Safari Park Monarto Safari Park News 2025
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I’m guessing the cows will initially be introduced to him in pairs, so there’s a strong likelihood Permai (from Perth) will be introduced to him alongside Tang Mo (from Taronga).
The Taronga cows (Pak Boon and Tang Mo) are the most socially competent cows, so they’re also a strong bet for being introduced to Putra Mas first.
I’m expecting Burma will be the last to be introduced to Putra Mas. She’s an older cow and by gaging his reactions to the younger cows, they’ll get a better idea of how he’s likely to respond to her, which is very much an unknown at this stage.
The introduction at Melbourne of Luk Chai to the cows was very quick, but I note that all elephants involved were young, well socialised elephants. Perth will obviously need to adapt their process in response to the interactions they see.
He looks like a mammoth climbing out of that pool I hope that they now let his tusks grow out as much as possible now that he is there
I believe you’re right that they’ll be the last thing to be added. They were under pressure to get the complex up and running in time to receive the elephants and so barns/stalls/fencing etc all took greater priority. Aesthetics and features like pools can be added at a later date.
To my knowledge it hasn’t started yet. They’ve been proactive with updating socials, so I assume they’d have mentioned it.
Update on Permai:
Permai’s keeper Jody is returning home after seven months of helping Permai to settle in, which I have no doubt was invaluable to her.
From socials:
Permai is settling into life at Monarto Safari Park and today she enjoyed one of her favourite routines… a big bath with the high pressure hose.
After more than seven months in her new home, Permai is growing in confidence. Her keepers give her a full scrub and hose down, which not only helps them check her from head to toe but also gives her the chance to relax, play and show a bit of her personality. Permai loves the warm water from the hose, loves drinking from it and enjoys a good splash before heading off for a roll in the mulch.
A huge part of this smooth transition has been thanks to Jody, the keeper from Perth Zoo who travelled across the country with Permai and has spent months helping her settle in.
Jody has now officially handed Permai over to the Monarto Safari Park team and is heading home. A massive thank you to Jody for everything she has done and for everything she has taught the team at Monarto Safari Park. Her care, knowledge and dedication have made an enormous difference to Permai’s journey.
Permai’s keeper Jody is returning home after seven months of helping Permai to settle in, which I have no doubt was invaluable to her.
From socials:
Permai is settling into life at Monarto Safari Park and today she enjoyed one of her favourite routines… a big bath with the high pressure hose.
After more than seven months in her new home, Permai is growing in confidence. Her keepers give her a full scrub and hose down, which not only helps them check her from head to toe but also gives her the chance to relax, play and show a bit of her personality. Permai loves the warm water from the hose, loves drinking from it and enjoys a good splash before heading off for a roll in the mulch.
A huge part of this smooth transition has been thanks to Jody, the keeper from Perth Zoo who travelled across the country with Permai and has spent months helping her settle in.
Jody has now officially handed Permai over to the Monarto Safari Park team and is heading home. A massive thank you to Jody for everything she has done and for everything she has taught the team at Monarto Safari Park. Her care, knowledge and dedication have made an enormous difference to Permai’s journey.
This is truly wonderful news the fact that keeper Jody was allowed to stay that long to settle Permai into her new home. It will be interesting to see how long Putra Mas keeper Steve ends up staying with him considering he is a bull and takes most note of this main keeper!
Hopefully in the event Steve in unable to stay on indefinitely (as three of the Auckland keepers have done), he can hand over the role he plays to one of the others; though it’s fair to say there’s nobody Putra Mas trusts more and Steve is effectively irreplaceable in that sense.
On the plus side, while the keepers play a vital role in the elephant’s husbandry; as with the Werribee complex, a growing emphasis will be placed on the elephants taking the lead in running their day rather than this being keeper directed. This will be a huge change for all the cows too, especially Burma who has lived three decades in an entirely keeper led environment and is hoped to become the matriarch of the female herd (i.e. not just adapting to the change, but leading it).
In any case, it would be certain that Putra Mas is being cross trained with other keepers. Scott can not be there 7 days a week.
Which cow shows leadership behavior? I think it would be Tang Mo from reading the older posts. Age usually does not dictate leadership; it is the social skills.
No, definitely not Tang Mo (1999). She’s always showed deference to Pak Boon (1992), who became the matriarch at Taronga Zoo once Porntip (the previous matriarch) left for Dubbo.
Not Permai (1989) either. Her social skills aren’t as developed as the other cows (especially the Taronga cows).
Burma (1982) is the cow the keepers are backing to become matriarch; but it also wouldn’t surprise me to see Pak Boon (1992) emerge as the matriarch. She’s a dominant cow and has a decade of experence in this role; as well as being a well socialised elephant.
Thanks for the correction. I keep forgetting there is a wider age range between the imports.
Yep:
Burma - 43
Permai - 36
Pak Boon - 33
Tang Mo - 26
In the event Pak Boon conceives a calf next year, she’ll be at least 36 years old by the time it’s born; and said calf will be the youngest by nearly three decades. If generating succession from this herd is the goal, a minimum of two daughters from Pak Boon would be highly desirable. A son would be beneficial for the region, so 1.2 calves at natural birth intervals would be the ideal.
I meant the import from Thailand/India... lol I knew Burma is the oldest hence the keepers counting her being the matriarch.
I believe much of the future breeding importance is going to fall back on the current trio of calfs from the last cohort born at Melbourne zoo (now at Werribee) being they got 1 M 2F from it, Also what they actually they get from the next Werribee cohort in a few years this I believe will shape things for the future depending on the number of female calfs produced
From a visit on Tuesday the last remaining works on the elephant area is for the visitor facilities.
The concrete pool is completed but not in use yet. It is located within area 2 on the elephant habitat plan posted earlier on this page. The visitor viewing structure wraps around this pool.
The bull barn is located on the spot marked future elephant house on the plan. It only took about a month from start to finish to put up the bull barn and the construction is effectively a large shed. This is connected to area 5 and this is the paddock that Putra Mas has been held in on my last two visits.
Area 3 is temporarily split in half by an electric fence allowing the three groups of females to be held within these two areas and area 1. Area 4 has not been built and no works are taking place in this area.
Most work is currently taking place on the bus stop and paths to the two viewing platforms in this area. The area 2 paddock appears mostly complete but the construction vehicles are using this area for access so the fencing cannot be completed and the paddock used until this is completed.
Thank you for the update that is good to know that the concrete pool is completed looking forward to seeing the zoo show some videos of them using it
Did the concrete pool have any water in it or still empty, Did you take any pics on the day?
Monarto zoo did well to complete all the main work in the time frame and deliver Putra Mas into his new home, Hopefully at some stage in the future we can see some calfs appear that's going to be a big drawcard for the zoo. Its possible if Werribee breed enough females over the next few years they may even consider moving a couple to Monarto zoo
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Giraffe calf sexed as a male:
The giraffe calf born earlier this month to Volta has been sexed as a male.
Reported on socials.
@Swanson02 reported in July that three giraffes were confirmed to be pregnant and due in spring, so hopefully more announcements will follow.
The giraffe calf born earlier this month to Volta has been sexed as a male.
Reported on socials.
@Swanson02 reported in July that three giraffes were confirmed to be pregnant and due in spring, so hopefully more announcements will follow.
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Elephant update:
In addition to Permai and Tang Mo bonding, it’s encouraging to hear of positive interactions between Burma and Pak Boon given they’re the two most dominant cows.
I really hope Monarto can eventually establish a cohesive herd, maximising positive welfare outcomes for all four cows.
From socials:
Seeing Permai and Tang Mo progressing their relationship today - this is really encouraging. We're seeing signs that they want to spend more time together, while Burma and Pak Boon are also showing positive communication.
We’re remaining fluid in our approach as there’s still no single guaranteed outcome but we're nurturing these connections, and keep working with all four cows and Putra Mas on their terms.
In addition to Permai and Tang Mo bonding, it’s encouraging to hear of positive interactions between Burma and Pak Boon given they’re the two most dominant cows.
I really hope Monarto can eventually establish a cohesive herd, maximising positive welfare outcomes for all four cows.
From socials:
Seeing Permai and Tang Mo progressing their relationship today - this is really encouraging. We're seeing signs that they want to spend more time together, while Burma and Pak Boon are also showing positive communication.
We’re remaining fluid in our approach as there’s still no single guaranteed outcome but we're nurturing these connections, and keep working with all four cows and Putra Mas on their terms.