We’re building a forever home for elephants in SA!

Picture the plains of Monarto Safari Park… then walking towards you, five mighty elephants.

Asian Elephants Burma, Permai, Putra Mas, Pak Boon and Tang Mo will become founders of a South Australian herd where they will roam at Monarto Safari Park, the largest open-range safari in the region, in a new habitat that meets their complex social structure needs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question about Monarto Safari Park’s Asian Elephant programme? Find the answer here!

25 February 2026: Tang Mo and Permai's first introduction.

First fence-free introduction was a success

Permai and Tang Mo have confidently shared Habitat 3 together without barriers – a major milestone in their integration journey.

After months of careful planning, the pair fed side by side, shared dust baths and were frequently seen touching trunks – a strong sign of trust and growing social bonds.

While shared time will continue to increase gradually, Burma and Pak Boon are also progressing through their own protected introduction sessions.

It’s still early days, but this is an exciting step forward in the long-term vision for Monarto Safari Park’s elephant group.

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05 November 2025: Putra Mas has arrived!

It’s a truly momentous day for Zoos SA and an incredible milestone for elephant care in Australia. Asian Elephant Putra Mas has arrived safely at Monarto Safari Park, following his 2,700-kilometre journey from Perth Zoo.

After around 42 hours on the road the 35-year-old bull’s custom-built transport crate was carefully craned into the Monarto Safari Park elephant habitat, and he calmly walked into the barn.

His travel companions report that he travelled beautifully throughout the journey – calm, steady and in good health, thanks to the outstanding care of the Perth Zoo keepers and veterinarians who accompanied him every step of the way. Putra Mas is now resting and exploring in the barn, where he’ll have some well-earned time to settle, stretch and relax after his cross-country adventure. He’ll be monitored closely by both the Perth Zoo and Monarto Safari Park elephant teams, who will support him as he becomes familiar with his new surroundings.

30 April 2025: Pak Boon and Tang Mo have arrived!

After a 22-hour, 1300km journey, Pak Boon and Tang Mo have arrived safely at Monarto Safari Park!

The trip was a smooth and comfortable one for both girls, who are now resting in the elephant barn and acclimatising to the sights, sounds and smells of the Mallee Plains. Both Pak Boon and Tang Mo walked calmly out of their crates and into the barn, where their keepers are now settling them in with a bath.

This is a huge milestone for the Monarto Safari Park Asian Elephant program, with all four of the herd’s founding females now here on site.

The dedicated elephant keepers from Monarto Safari Park and Taronga Zoo Sydney will work with all four elephants, reading their signs, signals, behaviours and mannerisms, to know when they are ready to slowly begin introductions to their new herd-mates.

29 March 2025: Two month milestone!

Permai arrived at Monarto Safari Park two months ago today, and while she’s understandably still settling into her new home and adjusting to this big life change, there’s plenty of meaningful progress to celebrate after Permai’s mammoth move from Perth Zoo.

Keepers share that Permai is beginning to appreciate what’s on offer for her here at Monarto Safari Park – the varied spaces and open habitat she can explore, an abundance of mud that she loves to play in, big sand mounds to sleep in, watching local wildlife bounce by at night time, lovely foot soaks, the comfort of trusted keeper Jody from Perth Zoo plus some new keepers she’s beginning to work with, and always plenty of food!

And of course, there’s one other big addition to Permai’s world, with her and Burma spending quite a bit of time interacting and gradually building towards a higher level of companionship and trust. Our overnight cameras show the girls check in with one another after either one has spent some time away exploring their habitat, or after a sleep. These are all promising signs, but like with people, companionship and trust takes time to build, and consistency is key.

As mature elephants, what we hope to see for Permai and Burma is that they peacefully coexist, and eventually find security in one another in times of uncertainty. We’re confident that this will continue to evolve, but of course it will only happen on elephant time!

5 February 2025: Permai is slowly settling in

Our elephant barn cameras have captured sleeping beauty (aka Permai) getting some good rest over the past couple of days!

She’s continuing to explore her indoor space within the barn, and is eating and drinking well.

Did you know elephants can sleep standing up? Permai has been doing quite a bit of that over the past week, however we’re really pleased to see her finally having a good lie down sleep.

This is an encouraging sign that Permai is beginning to feel more comfortable in her new environment, as she slowly settles in here at Monarto Safari Park and all the new sights, sounds, smells, and company that comes with it.

Keepers continue to create small moments for Burma and Permai to interact with each other, as they work each other out and get used to sharing their space with another elephant.

It’s a big shift for her in more ways than one, so it’s all about giving Permai the time and support she needs to settle in and feel safe and secure.

We know it’s all about love and patience as Permai gets to know her new home and her new company.

31 January 2025: The first trunk touch!

Excitingly, Asian elephants Burma and Permai have met for the first time at Monarto Safari Park!

Late yesterday, both elephants showed signs they were interested in interacting. While Burma was a little shy at first, they came together to say hello with gentle trunk touches through the mesh —a heart-warming moment!

Both elephants displayed curiosity and calm behaviours toward each other, a great first step toward building their bond for future interactions.

This achievement is a testament to the dedication and expertise of both the Monarto Safari Park and Perth Zoo animal care teams, who have worked tirelessly to ensure both elephants’ comfort and well-being.

Stay tuned for more jumbo updates on what we hope is the start of a beautiful friendship!

29 January 2025: Permai settles into Monarto Safari Park!

After a 40-hour, 2700km journey across the Nullarbor (with plenty of peanut butter sandwiches along the way!), Permai has arrived safely at Monarto Safari Park.

Home is where the herd is, and our newest arrival Perth Zoo is now settling into the elephant barn and exploring her new habitat. Her dedicated keepers and veterinary team ensured she travelled comfortably, and she did amazingly well on her journey.

As Permai adjusts to her new surroundings and prepares to meet Burma, her comfort and wellbeing remain our top priority. We appreciate your patience as we give her the time and space she needs to settle in.

Stay tuned for updates on when Permai will be ready to meet you in person – we can’t wait for you to get to know her!

27 January 2025: Permai is on her way!

We’re excited to share that Permai has officially left Perth Zoo and is now on her way to Monarto Safari Park!

Her move marks an important milestone in our efforts to build a dynamic Asian Elephant herd right here in South Australia.

This morning, the dedicated elephant carers at Perth Zoo took Permai through her daily crate training as normal. She walked in calmly and her seatbelts were fastened like every other crate training session she’s done this year. Except this time, it was for the real thing!

Getting an elephant across the Nullarbor is an extremely complex operation. The teams at Perth Zoo and Monarto Safari Park have meticulously planned the move and have prepared for everything.

In her custom-built, insulated crate, she’s got air-conditioning, plenty of snacks, over 1000 litres of water and importantly, a live camera that enables her carers to watch her for the entire journey.

Upon arrival, Permai will be given time to settle in and adjust to her new environment. This quiet period will ensure she feels comfortable and secure before meeting Burma and exploring her new habitat.

We know how eager everyone is to meet Permai, but we kindly ask for your patience and understanding during this critical acclimation period. Keep an eye on this page and social media for updates on when she’ll be ready to greet visitors!

13 December 2024: Burma's first steps into her new home

Burma, the first Asian Elephant to travel to Monarto Safari Park, has officially completed her quarantine period and is exploring her new home!

“She’s settled in really well, the whole team is really pleased with how she’s going,” Andrew says.

“Naturally there’s been some moments that have taken her a bit by surprise, the sounds are very different here and her first encounter with kangaroos the other day was a new experience, but she keeps taking it all in and I’m incredibly proud of both Burma and the team for how well she’s settled in.

“It’s wonderful to see her today out of the smaller quarantine yard and exploring the wider habitat, especially the waterhole which she seems pretty happy with. She was a bit hesitant at first, not sure what to do or where to go, but the team’s been here beside her the whole time and like everything else this past month, she’s just gotten on with it and taken it in her stride.”

Andrew has worked with Burma for 25 years and is one of four elephant keepers who accompanied Burma to Monarto Safari Park. Auckland Zoo staff also include senior elephant keeper Corryn Coers who has worked with Burma for 22 years, and senior elephant keeper Odin Neil who has worked with Burma for 14 years.

They plan to stay on with Burma for as long as required to provide her with the familiar, reassuring company and continuity of care as she settles into new environment, and meets and integrates with her new elephant family – which will begin sooner than initially expected.

If you are planning on visiting Monarto Safari Park to welcome Burma, please ensure that you pre-book your tickets to avoid disappointment! There are daily visitor caps in place to ensure the very best experience on your visit.

13 November 2024: Safe and sound!

Asian Elephant, Burma – the newest member of the Zoos SA family – has safely arrived at Monarto Safari Park after a giant journey from Auckland Zoo.

Auckland Zoo elephant team leader Andrew Coers, who travelled with Burma on her flight, says the team is really happy with how Burma is recovering from her journey.

“Burma had a good sleep last night, all her movements are positive and she’s eating well which is what we were hoping to see,” said Andrew.

“She’s moving around her new environment, sussing it all out, smelling everything and generally making herself at home. We’ll continue to monitor her as she settles in, but early indications are that she’s recovering well from a long day of travel,” he said.

Burma will not be visible to the public during her quarantine period.

12 November 2024: Burma's arrival

The first arrival — 43-year-old Burma — was transferred from Auckland Zoo on Tuesday 12 November, and is immediately commencing a standard quarantine period at Monarto Safari Park.

Burma’s arrival is incredibly exciting for Zoos SA, and for South Australia. We are thrilled to welcome her to her forever home, where she is the first of five Asian Elephants who will form a herd by the end of 2025.

As is a standard requirement for all international zoo-to-zoo animal transfers, Burma will be in quarantine at Monarto Safari Park for her first month where she’ll have the support, familiar company and expert care of her elephant keepers who are making the trip with her from Auckland.

Burma will not be visible to the public during her quarantine period.

April 2024: The herd grows

Asian Elephants Pak Boon and Tang Mo from Taronga Zoo Sydney are standing in side profile. Both elephants have their trunks extended forward foraging for food. An elephant shed is in the background.

In April, we were trumpeting with excitement to announce TWO MORE Asian Elephants are set to join the herd at Monarto Safari Park!

Pak Boon and Tang Mo from Taronga Zoo Sydney are packing up their trunks and following in the footsteps of Burma from Auckland Zoo and Permai and Putra Mas from Perth Zoo.

We were also excited to announce more news about the arrival of the other three Asian Elephants!

Burma, who will transfer from Auckland Zoo looks set to arrive at Monarto Safari Park in October/November 2024 and Permai and Putra Mas from Perth Zoo in mid-2025.

March 2024: Making moves

March marked a major milestone with the major works starting on the Asian Elephant barn!

The old elephant barn and surrounding area was previously used by the Black Rhinos (and before that, Samorn the Asian Elephant)

A new habitat was constructed for the Black Rhino, allowing the barn to undergo a series of upgrades and an extension to bring the elephant barn up to current welfare and husbandry standards.

November 2023: Designing a home

The work now begins on designing a world-class habitat for the three Asian Elephants,

Peter Clark, the Director of Monarto Safari Park, is teaming up with Auckland Zoo’s Elephant team leader Andrew Coers and Perth Zoo’s Manager of Zoology John Lemon to design the 14 hectare habitat.

Andrew and John’s wealth of experience with Asian Elephants will help us create the ideal habitat to support the elephants’ socialisation!

October 2023: The run

On Saturday 21 October 2023, we celebrated both the end of our fundraising campaign, as well as Monarto Safari Park’s 40th birthday with Run Wild. Over 350 dedicated ele-lovers ran, walked and wheelchaired through the park to raise funds to bring Asian Elephants to Monarto Safari Park.

Participants took part in four separate events, ranging from three kilometres up to the full marathon distance of a whopping 42 kilometres. Congratulations go to Luke O’Neill, who led the pack and completed his first ever full marathon with African Painted Dogs, lions and giraffe watching on.

Prizes were awarded to each of our distance winners, as well as the top fundraisers who helped make the event a huge success!

August 2023: The fundraising campaign

Starting in August 2023, 4,773 incredible donors helped us raise over $2.4 million to help home three Asian Elephants. We also had support from over 100 passionate local schools, businesses and community groups.

We are blown away by the support of the elephant and conservation-loving community. A mammoth thank you to each and every one of you who got behind us in helping to home elephants, we couldn’t have done it without you!

The prospect of having elephants at Monarto Safari Park is not only exciting, it’s the right thing to do for these animals.

Rosanna Mangiarelli meets Permai, Putra Mas and Burma

Meet the Elephants

Permai

Female | Age: 33

Permai is best known for her mischievous and cheeky personality – she loves to be the centre of attention and she’s known among keepers as a bit of a rascal.

But through her cheekiness, she’s an incredibly loyal and affectionate elephant who loves companionship. She’s also an active gardener and likes to ‘help’ the horticulture team with tree pruning wherever she can – even though they don’t ask for it!

After the loss of matriarch Tricia in 2022, Permai felt deep grief. She leaned heavily on the company of her dedicated keepers, and while she’s regained her spark, she still misses her old elephant friend and the company of other females.

Now, Permai remains the only female elephant at Perth Zoo and she desperately needs a forever home with an elephant herd.

Putra Mas

Male | Age: 33

Putra Mas translates to ‘golden prince’ and he’s certainly earned his namesake! He is as smart as he is cheeky, and he’s quick to vocalise and trumpet away when he’s happy.

Putra Mas has grown into an incredibly strong and remarkably intelligent bull elephant. In fact, his intelligence continues to blow keepers away!

While working with him from a safe distance, keepers say Putra Mas is able to understand new training programs very quickly and with ease. It’s incredible to watch him understand his keepers and play games with them like soccer and relay races.

Putra Mas has also played an important role in the species’ regional breeding program, introducing new and valuable genetics into the pool. In 2018, he sired a calf through artificial insemination, a female born in New South Wales.

Burma

Female | Age: 42

Burma was born in 1982 in Myanmar (formerly Burma) where she spent her early years at a logging camp. She arrived at Auckland Zoo in 1990 (aged eight years) to join older female elephant Kashin, who became her constant companion until passing away in 2009.

Now 42 years old, Burma has matured into a lovely gentle elephant – still very energetic and playful (but slightly less mischievous!) and, her keepers tell us, an elephant who absolutely loves her food!

For many months, Auckland Zoo’s highly skilled and dedicated team of elephant keepers have been preparing Burma for her move, which has included lots of familiarisation sessions in her travel crate. We’re delighted that our Auckland Zoo colleagues will be staying on with us to settle Burma in and integrate her with her four new elephant companions – who will be arriving over the coming year.

In 2015, Burma gained a new elephant companion in Asian elephant Anjalee (then aged eight years) who relocated from an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka. Anjalee and Burma enjoyed a friendship and each other’s company before Anjalee was relocated to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Australia in March 2022 – to give her the opportunity to breed and be part of a larger herd.(In great news, Anjalee is now pregnant)

Pak Boon

Female | Age: 32

Pak Boon is Thai for ‘Morning Glory’ flower, and she was born in 1992. Keepers describe Pak Boon as talkative and energetic and note she enjoys her daily baths. She has a dominant personality and is the top of the hierarchy.

Tang Mo

Female | Age: 24

Tang Mo is Thai for ‘Watermelon’, and she born in 2000. Tang Mo is highly intelligent and is always up for an enrichment challenge and is highly engaged in training sessions. She has a strong bond with the keepers, usually giving a low grumble when they arrive each morning to start the day.

Elephants in the Wild

Animal Facts
Species:	Elephas maximus
Conservation Status:	Endangered
Found In:	East Asia
Length:	5.5–6.5 m
Height:	2.4-2.7 m
Weight:	2.7-4.0 tonnes

50% of Asian Elephants were lost in the last three generations.

It’s estimated that there are less than 52,000 Asian Elephants remaining in the wild, with the world losing 50% of Asian Elephants in the last three generations.

This makes regionally-coordinated conservation programs more critical than ever. A long-term collaborative commitment is crucial to ensuring the species remains for generations to come.

Within Australia, the Asian Elephant regional breeding program has experienced immense success, with eight calves born since 2000, and three calves born in the last 12 months alone.
The establishment of a new group in South Australia will increase capacity within the region, making room for more animals to be born into safe habitats with socially appropriate family structures.

Still want to help out?

If you haven’t donated yet, there’s still time to be part of history.
All donations received will still go towards the Asian Elephant project and contribute to things like a browse plantation for the elephants!

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