Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo News 2025

[Zoofan15]

I don’t know if this has been reported or not, but apparently via socials, Luk Chai Has now safely arrived at Werribee

Indeed, he arrived early this morning and has had access to the interior of his barn and the adjacent pen as seen in the video from their socials;
Zoos Victoria on Instagram: "The day is finally here! The first of our nine Asian elephants has safely arrived at his new home at Werribee Open Range Zoo. This morning, the four tonne male Luk Chai voluntarily entered a custom-built crate before being craned onto a flat-bed truck. That's right - for a brief moment, he was airborne! Keepers monitored Luk Chai remotely via cameras as the truck and @VicPol escort vehicles made their way to the newly built 21-hectare habitat. Luk Chai is currently curiously exploring his brand-new bull barn. Stay tuned for updates as the hard-working team plans to move the remaining eight Asian elephants."

With the cows hopefully following in the coming days dependent on weather and their cooperation with getting in the crates; though given their progress with crate training (which has been going on for over 18 months), I’m not anticipating any issues here:

Melbourne Zoo elephants move to Werribee

The remaining eight elephants at Melbourne Zoo are expected to join Luk Chai at Werribee in the coming days. Exactly when, zookeepers do not know – it is up to the elephants to move voluntarily into their crates, and factors like the weather and health can affect how soon they move.

It will be end of an era at Melbourne Zoo when all the current elephant herd members have left for Werribee.

It is quite the event this year that a greater part of the Australian Asiatic elephant population will relocate to essentially 2 bigger open range locations.

The beauty of Melbourne’s phase out (aside from the obvious of the elephants getting a 21ha habitat) is that regular visitors won’t have to travel far to see the herd at Werribee.

I agree it will be a seismic change indeed for the regional population, with four zoos phasing out elephants:

Auckland
Melbourne
Perth
Taronga

Considering Burma was imported by Monarto in November and Putra Mas could follow as soon as June, these transfers have all occurred within the space of seven months - a phenomenal effort for the teams involved!

 

[Babirusa]

How Zoos Victoria moved elephant herd to new home across the city

All of Melbourne Zoos elephants are at Werribee now!

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

Some great footage of the elephants at Werribee. They look great.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/v...n-home/video/436df431d91137fbb6475f385572e9aa

 

[Babirusa]

Looks fantastic!

 

[Wisp O' Mist]

Some great footage of the elephants at Werribee. They look great.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/v...n-home/video/436df431d91137fbb6475f385572e9aa

They already appear to be right at home!

 

[Zoofan15]

Some great footage of the elephants at Werribee. They look great.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/v...n-home/video/436df431d91137fbb6475f385572e9aa

Looks fantastic!

They already appear to be right at home!

It’s so rewarding to see this move, which has been close to a decade in the planning finally come together. I can only imagine how relieved the keepers must be to finally have all elephant safely on site, their 18 months plus of crate training a resounding success.

The transfer of Mek Kepah, Dokkoon, Mali, Aiyara and Roi-Yim would have been one of Australia’s single largest elephant transfers (not taking into account the entire herd of nine travelled to Werribee over five days).

Previous large transfers between zoos included the arrival of 1.3 African elephants at Dubbo, who were imported from the United Kingdom in 1977; and of course the arrival of the Thai elephants in 2006.

 

[Jambo]

Absolutely phenomenal news; couldn't wait to see this announced since I got the opportunity to see the first batch of these guys go past Tuesday morning!

This is really the start of a new era for Zoos Victoria and the elephant herd themselves! Really exciting for the future going forward.

Well done to all of the team involved in getting this long awaited project finally complete. Obviously all their hard work seems to have paid off already; the elephants seem to be settling in amazing.

Having visited the herd since their foundation almost two decades ago it certainly brings a tear to my eye to be able to see them given the opportunity to frolic in this new world class complex. Just from watching the videos I can already see some of the elephants (especially the adults) seem to be far more active than I've ever seen them! Really cool to see Luk Chai enjoying his much larger pool already too.

For Mek Kapah especially it's bittersweet seeing her being able to experience this new facility, especially when you consider the living conditions she once had to endure decades ago. Now at 52, I'm really glad she'll be able to live out her twilight years in this first class facility.

Hopefully Zoos Vic will come out with some more videos/photos in the coming days. I can only imagine they're too infatuated with just sitting there and taking in what they've achieved right now. A huge Well Done to all involved!!!

 

[Zorro]

Absolutely phenomenal news; couldn't wait to see this announced since I got the opportunity to see the first batch of these guys go past Tuesday morning!

This is really the start of a new era for Zoos Victoria and the elephant herd themselves! Really exciting for the future going forward.

Well done to all of the team involved in getting this long awaited project finally complete. Obviously all their hard work seems to have paid off already; the elephants seem to be settling in amazing.

Having visited the herd since their foundation almost two decades ago it certainly brings a tear to my eye to be able to see them given the opportunity to frolic in this new world class complex. Just from watching the videos I can already see some of the elephants (especially the adults) seem to be far more active than I've ever seen them! Really cool to see Luk Chai enjoying his much larger pool already too.

For Mek Kapah especially it's bittersweet seeing her being able to experience this new facility, especially when you consider the living conditions she once had to endure decades ago. Now at 52, I'm really glad she'll be able to live out her twilight years in this first class facility.

Hopefully Zoos Vic will come out with some more videos/photos in the coming days. I can only imagine they're too infatuated with just sitting there and taking in what they've achieved right now. A huge Well Done to all involved!!!

It is indeed, It appears ZoosVictoria got everything right!, This herd appears to have the best outlook of any holder within the country and having so many females in the herd to date is the key to its future. I have often criticised "some zoos management" within our country but it's five stars from me!

 

[Babirusa]

A longer video has now been posted to Zoos Victoria instagram and it is absolutely incredible!

 

[Zoofan15]

A longer video has now been posted to Zoos Victoria instagram and it is absolutely incredible!

Here’s a link:

7.5K views · 683 reactions | They're all here!!! We're delighted to announce that the entire herd of nine Asian Elephants travelled safely from Melbourne Zoo to Werribee Open... | By Zoos Victoria | Facebook

From Zoos Victoria’s socials:

They're all here!!! We're delighted to announce that the entire herd of nine Asian Elephants travelled safely from Melbourne Zoo to Werribee Open Range Zoo this week.

Joyful trumpeting sounded as the herd began to explore part of their habitat and went straight into mud wallow mode.

And, as for their human carers, there wasn't a dry eye in sight.

Near by in a separate habitat, Luk Chai spent a sunny day diving deep into one of two large wading pools! The gentle giant will stay close by but in a separate area, just as bulls and family herds behave in the wild. Once Luk Chai and the herd have settled in, he will have opportunities to socialise with his calves and the female elephants.

As the family unpack their trunks and explore their new digs (including sand banks, multiple habitats and deep wading pools), keep a close eye on our social channels to find out when you can visit your newest, biggest neighbours.

 

[Luke899]

Very cool to see Luk Chai totally submerged

 

[Zoofan15]

Very cool to see Luk Chai totally submerged

These pools are phenomenal!

The calves were never out of the pool on my last visit, so I can only imagine the use they’ll be getting out of this complex.

https://secretmelbourne.com/elephants-werribee-open-range-zoo/

There’s also two mega pools for them to splash around in. These pools collectively hold nearly two million litres of water, and offer about 1,300m² of swimming space.


Source: Zoos Victoria

 

[Jambo]

Here’s a link:

7.5K views · 683 reactions | They're all here!!! We're delighted to announce that the entire herd of nine Asian Elephants travelled safely from Melbourne Zoo to Werribee Open... | By Zoos Victoria | Facebook

From Zoos Victoria’s socials:

They're all here!!! We're delighted to announce that the entire herd of nine Asian Elephants travelled safely from Melbourne Zoo to Werribee Open Range Zoo this week.

Joyful trumpeting sounded as the herd began to explore part of their habitat and went straight into mud wallow mode.

And, as for their human carers, there wasn't a dry eye in sight.

Near by in a separate habitat, Luk Chai spent a sunny day diving deep into one of two large wading pools! The gentle giant will stay close by but in a separate area, just as bulls and family herds behave in the wild. Once Luk Chai and the herd have settled in, he will have opportunities to socialise with his calves and the female elephants.

As the family unpack their trunks and explore their new digs (including sand banks, multiple habitats and deep wading pools), keep a close eye on our social channels to find out when you can visit your newest, biggest neighbours.

It appears I was right in that Mek Kapah, Kulab, Num Oi and Kati were transferred across first; these seemed to be the group that I saw arrive at Werribee Tuesday morning.

Dokkoon, Mali and their respective calves (Aiyara and Roi Yim) then followed yesterday morning.

Again, it's really heart warming to see the herd settling in so seamlessly. The calves appear to be having the times of their lives running around and playing in the barn. I'm sure the mothers would finally be glad that they have the space to move off and let the calves do their own thing.

It was also interesting to see Roi Yim seemed very nervous about exiting the crate but once grandma and big sister came over he was straight out and off exploring with them!

 

[Zoofan15]

It appears I was right in that Mek Kapah, Kulab, Num Oi and Kati were transferred across first; these seemed to be the group that I saw arrive at Werribee Tuesday morning.

Dokkoon, Mali and their respective calves (Aiyara and Roi Yim) then followed yesterday morning.

Again, it's really heart warming to see the herd settling in so seamlessly. The calves appear to be having the times of their lives running around and playing in the barn. I'm sure the mothers would finally be glad that they have the space to move off and let the calves do their own thing.

It was also interesting to see Roi Yim seemed very nervous about exiting the crate but once grandma and big sister came over he was straight out and off exploring with them!

The plan was always for Kulab, Num-Oi and Kati to go together as a group. In November, it was reported that Mek Kepah would be accompanying Dokkoon and her family (presumably due to Mek Kepah being closest to Dokkoon); but this was obviously revised to give Mek Kepah (as matriarch) the opportunity to be on site first to provide support to the others as they arrive.

On that note, it would come as no surprise to see a new matriarch emerge in Kulab in the future. Being younger, she’ll adapt better to the change and be more confident in leading the way than Mek Kepah, who may even be glad to relinquish the position. She essentially assumed the matriarch role by default when you consider Kulab and Num-Oi arrived as six and five years olds.

That doesn’t surprise me regarding Roi-Yim. He’s always been the most apprehensive of the trio, despite being the only bull calf. Aiyara and Kati are both precocious calves, but especially Aiyara who would often seperate of from her family group to interact with Kati. It’s easy to see these females forming a close bond despite their respective mothers being more attached to Mali and Kulab respectively.

 

[Zorro]

It appears I was right in that Mek Kapah, Kulab, Num Oi and Kati were transferred across first; these seemed to be the group that I saw arrive at Werribee Tuesday morning.

Dokkoon, Mali and their respective calves (Aiyara and Roi Yim) then followed yesterday morning.

Again, it's really heart warming to see the herd settling in so seamlessly. The calves appear to be having the times of their lives running around and playing in the barn. I'm sure the mothers would finally be glad that they have the space to move off and let the calves do their own thing.

It was also interesting to see Roi Yim seemed very nervous about exiting the crate but once grandma and big sister came over he was straight out and off exploring with them!

One can only imagine how things will pan out once all have settled in particularly with the future dynamics between the members of the herd once future calfs are born to the herd, Its going to be an amazing sight watching the current members interacting with further members of the herd over time.

Also watching how Luk Chai maturing into a fully grown mature bull, Its so hearting to see him completely submerged into the new deep water pool like a hippo!

 

[Zoofan15]

The future of Werribee:

The path ahead for the next five years at Werribee are quite clear, with the plan being for Luk Chai to breed with Dokkoon, Num-Oi and Mali to produce a second cohort of calves. Aside from the obvious benefits to the social development of the calves, it negates the issues of having to manage boisterous older juveniles around newborn calves. This was an issue between Sabai/Kanlaya (especially in her first year); and to a lesser extent Mali/Ongard (though he rapidly matched her in size).

From here, a new bull will transfer in to take over as breeding bull. Bearing in mind the second cohort of calves haven’t even been conceived yet (and a birth interval of at least five years will follow), this could be a decade away - tying in with Aiyara and Kati breeding for the first time. At this point in time, Sydney’s bulls appear the strongest candidates.

I was advised Luk Chai may remain at Werribee throughout the rest of his life; and the zoo will indeed have the capacity to manage two adult bulls.

Roi-Yim’s future path is less clear and could depend on the number of bull calves produced in the next cohort. Along with Sabai at Dubbo, he would be an obvious choice for export overseas if there was interest from North America in acquiring one of our bulls. He will have limited application to the our breeding programme otherwise.

 

[Jambo]

The plan was always for Kulab, Num-Oi and Kati to go together as a group. In November, it was reported that Mek Kepah would be accompanying Dokkoon and her family (presumably due to Mek Kepah being closest to Dokkoon); but this was obviously revised to give Mek Kepah (as matriarch) the opportunity to be on site first to provide support to the others as they arrive.

Indeed it was. But as I presumed (and as they didn't seem to have taken into account initially), is that it would be beneficial to get Mek Kapah in first. Even though we all speculate Kulab will one day perhaps achieve that position within the herd it's important to remember Mek Kapah is still the herd's leader as of now and she's the one who will guide the herd through this change. It would've also made sense logistically to send four elephants one day and then four the next (rather than five and three).

It's interesting as most of us perceive Dokkoon to be closely bonded to Mek Kapah. Which is true, however I've noticed all three of the Thai imports (Kulab, Num Oi and Dokkoon) are still really close. Kulab especially loves to socialise with the other two (a trait of a good leader).

Dokkoon's always been a wanderer but the same could be said about Num Oi as of late. Even in the footage you can see Num Oi off away from others. Part of it could be due to her maturing; also her finally having a calf. She no longer has to hover around the other cows to interact with the calves (a favourite past time of hers); so perhaps the birth of Kati has given her more freedom in that aspect.

 

[Jambo]

Just before he submerged I thought I saw a "glass" window to the pool on the left?

Looks to be a drain

 

[Zoofan15]

It's interesting as most of us perceive Dokkoon to be closely bonded to Mek Kapah. Which is true, however I've noticed all three of the Thai imports (Kulab, Num Oi and Dokkoon) are still really close. Kulab especially loves to socialise with the other two (a trait of a good leader).

Dokkoon's always been a wanderer but the same could be said about Num Oi as of late. Even in the footage you can see Num Oi off away from others. Part of it could be due to her maturing; also her finally having a calf. She no longer has to hover around the other cows to interact with the calves (a favourite past time of hers); so perhaps the birth of Kati has given her more freedom in that aspect.

Mek Kepah and Dokoon formed a bond early on in the formation of the herd, with Kulab and Num-Oi similarly drawn to each other due to both being juveniles. This mirrored the friendships in the Taronga herd of Porntip/Pak Boon and Thong Dee/Tang Mo.

Since then, Dokkoon has had a daughter mature into young adulthood and that is the strongest social bond in the herd between all the adults (as can be expected). While Mek Kepah and Dokkoon remain close, it’s clear the relationship is less vital to Dokkoon now she has her own family unit.

Long term, it’s possible we may see the same develop with Num-Oi regarding her friendship with Kulab, though for now, Kulab evidently enjoys the socialisation with Kati and they form a close trio. Like you say, Kulab also interacts with the wider herd.

 

[The Sleepy Hippo]

So heart-warming to see the footage of them all finally together in their forever home! Woke up to the ZoosVic footage this morning - no dry eyes here!