Elephants pack their trunks for Aussie
Auckland Zoo has revealed its muchloved elephants will head to a new home in Australia.
Last year, the zoo made the “heartbreaking decision” to rehome the female elephants overseas.
Yesterday, it said Asian elephants Anjalee and Burma have “excellent new homes”. The pair will be heading to different zoos “based on their individual needs”.
“Anjalee will join the breeding herd at Taronga Western Plains Zoo [Dubbo, Australia], and Burma will head to Australia Zoo [Sunshine Coast, Queensland] to join their allfemale herd.”
Elephant team leader Andrew Coers says their personalities and upbringings from different areas of the world mean they’d be better suited to individual zoos appropriate to them.
“Although they have a friendship and enjoy each other’s company, they don’t share a maternal bond like a mother and daughter would, and often like their own space.”
Anjalee will join a herd at Taronga that has two cows and a calf, a breeding bull and two young bulls — giving her a chance to breed.
Burma will join four females at Australia Zoo, playing “aunty” to the herd’s younger females.