The Sleepy Hippo
Well-Known Member
I thought the advertising for the documentary is that the screening is for the first of three episodes in a series on the Zoo's Vic Elephants.
Am I wrong on this?
Am I wrong on this?
Australasian Asian Elephant Population 2024
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
Yes, that’s correct. This month’s doco will cover:
The arrival of Luk Chai from Dubbo (2020)
The birth of the calves (2022-2023)
The death of Man Jai (2023)
Preparations for the move (2023-2024)
Footage of the Werribee site (2023-2024)
It will screen at least a month before the elephants transfer over to Werribee; so I’d expect a follow up series to cover the transporting of the herd and their settling in period.
Frankie_number_1_fan
Well-Known Member
I seem to recall that she could not straighten her front knees
Yes, she suffered from congenital carpal flexure which prevented her from straightening her front legs at her ankles. However keepers and staff did manage to straighten her legs after birth. Unfortunately, she had to be euthanised after her condition deteriorated as a result of a blood infection about six weeks after birth.
Boy if that’s not the best and most accurate statement ever! Well said, sir.
Update on Perth's Duo's transfer to Monarto:
Gentle giants to leave Perth Zoo more than two years after Tricia the elephant's death
Relocation efforts recently hit a milestone, with the completion of containers designed to keep the four-tonne animals safe on their journey.
"We borrowed a crate from Taronga Zoo, which is just a training crate. We've been doing that for over six months, getting them conditioned," he said.
Whether Putra Mas and Permai will travel by air or road will depend on the timing of the move and the availability of aircraft large enough to carry the elephants.
It had initially been hoped the pair would move to Adelaide this year, but this is now not expected to occur until mid-2025.
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With Perth borrowing Taronga's crate, I assume this means the crate will soon be sent back to be used for their pair of cows who will soon begin crate training too (if they haven't already).
Interestingly, it also hasn't been decided whether they will be transported via air or road. If they elect to transfer them by road, it is a 30 hour trip to be undertaken. However it is more cost effective and the cool Winter weather may also be more supportive of a move like this.
Gentle giants to leave Perth Zoo more than two years after Tricia the elephant's death
Relocation efforts recently hit a milestone, with the completion of containers designed to keep the four-tonne animals safe on their journey.
"We borrowed a crate from Taronga Zoo, which is just a training crate. We've been doing that for over six months, getting them conditioned," he said.
Whether Putra Mas and Permai will travel by air or road will depend on the timing of the move and the availability of aircraft large enough to carry the elephants.
It had initially been hoped the pair would move to Adelaide this year, but this is now not expected to occur until mid-2025.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With Perth borrowing Taronga's crate, I assume this means the crate will soon be sent back to be used for their pair of cows who will soon begin crate training too (if they haven't already).
Interestingly, it also hasn't been decided whether they will be transported via air or road. If they elect to transfer them by road, it is a 30 hour trip to be undertaken. However it is more cost effective and the cool Winter weather may also be more supportive of a move like this.
Surely by plane, they could not take the elephants by road. The travel time and risk of injury would surely prohibit that. Even if the weather permits that.
Luke899
Well-Known Member
I can't see them going by road either. Imagine breaking down in the middle of nowhere (the great Australian bight) with an anxious bull and female elephant.
Not a chance (in my opinion). I don't think they'd take that risk.
A flight is literally 3.5 hours, not 30+ hours by road.
Not a chance (in my opinion). I don't think they'd take that risk.
A flight is literally 3.5 hours, not 30+ hours by road.
It's do-able, but obviously as you both say, it's not worth the risk.
I think the comment was merely in reference to the fact that if they can't find a suitable plane to fly them over by the middle of next year, this is the option that will have to be taken.
Flights like this are notoriously difficult to find, and I did note the plane that flew Burma to Adelaide was en route to Sri Lanka (where Anjalee was acquired from). So perhaps Auckland had a connection there.
In Europe and the US, elephants are always transported on the road for a travel time of around 30 hours. Elephants are even transported by truck for far longer transports (the longest I can remember must have been over 100 hours). That works well and is probably less risky then putting them in a plane, surely if an adult bull is involved.
Luke899
Well-Known Member
Europe and United States population’s are much more spread out than Australia. If something were to happen during transit in Europe, they’d get help soon by people living nearby.
If something were to happen during transit a cross the great Australian bight, there is little to no help at all out there. A stranded bull and female elephant would be very, very bad indeed.
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Well, that means you need to prepare accordingly and bring whatever you may need with you. I don‘t think that’s a good enough reason to transport them via plane. That’s far more risky - if an adult elephant panics during a flight, the plane is at risk, and you may have to kill the elephant ASAP. And transporting the bull by plane may not be possible at all because he may not fit into a transport crate that is low enough to fit into the plane. The large transport planes where a big bull would surely fit are the Antonow planes and these are no longer available due to the Russian-Ukranian war.
Luke899
Well-Known Member
As per procedure, a light sedative was given to Burma before her flight to Adelaide to navigate that risk of stress. As a result, Burma was calm and well-behaved and the transit went perfectly. The zoo staff go through a variety of exercises with the elephants to ensure they are trained and ready for these things, whether by plane or road.
Putra mas has also been trained with a light sedative as part of his crate training this year. Putra Mas has been very well-behaved, calm, and compliant throughout those exercises. He will be perfectly fine on a flight.
Yes, its an aircraft availability issue, but only for Putra Mas.
An Atlas Air 747 can easily accommodate Permai. The question is can it accommodate Putra Mas potentially if his crate comes through the lifted nose of the aircraft rather than the back of the aircraft.
Maybe it will come to the situation where Putra Mas must go by road and Permai by plane.
Overall, Perth zoo will do everything it can to get them over by aircraft then road, since road is just a risky option going though vast swaths of outback nothingness hundreds of kilometers away from assistance. Road is also uncomfortable for the elephants, having to stand still for such long periods of time.
You have no idea if Putra Mas will be perfectly fine on a plane or not. There is absolutely no way to practice flying and getting an elephant used to all the noise and movement. And even light sedation has a risk and can go horribly wrong.
Apparently you don‘t want to believe it, but there IS a reason why zoos in Europe and the US who regularly move elephants over larger distances then between Perth and Monarto ALWAYS use the street and NEVER planes.
Apparently you don‘t want to believe it, but there IS a reason why zoos in Europe and the US who regularly move elephants over larger distances then between Perth and Monarto ALWAYS use the street and NEVER planes.
Sending Permai by aircraft and Putra Mas via truck makes no sense at all. That means going through the pain of organizing such a complex undertaking not just once but twice. It’s so much easier (and probably cheaper) to move both the same way.
I do see the risk of having a breakdown in a remote area, but if you select trucks in the best condition severe issues are unlikely and if you bring plenty of hay and water, the worst that can happen is that the elephants have to wait 1 or 2 days before they can continue their journey. That is not ideal but not a catastrophe if you consider that moves with a transport time of 100+ hours in the crate usually work out fine.
I do see the risk of having a breakdown in a remote area, but if you select trucks in the best condition severe issues are unlikely and if you bring plenty of hay and water, the worst that can happen is that the elephants have to wait 1 or 2 days before they can continue their journey. That is not ideal but not a catastrophe if you consider that moves with a transport time of 100+ hours in the crate usually work out fine.
Frankie_number_1_fan
Well-Known Member
Either way of transport presents the oppertunity for stress. I'm sure both zoos will be doing their utmost to keep them both comfortable during the journey no matter how it will be done.