Shipment Of Elephants To Australia Blocked

[Jai Dee]

Thai groups protest stealth export of eight elephants

Bangkok (ANTARA News) - Thai wildlife conservationists on Monday protested the weekend delivery of eight elephants to Australia, claiming the animals had not yet been DNA-tested to determine whether they were from the wild which would violate international laws in animal trade.

A score of wildlife activists gathered outside the Australian embassy to Bangkok waving banners that read, "Australia is a thief," and "Aussie stole eight baby elephants from Thailand," to hand diplomats a protest letter over a controversial animal-swap deal between Australia and Thailand that was stealthily transacted at the weekend.

On Saturday night, Thai authorities sneaked eight baby pachyderms out the back gate of a Kanchanaburi animal hospital, avoiding protestors who had gathered at the front gate, and transported the animals under a 100-strong police and army escort to U-Tapao Air Base where four of the mammoth passengers were immediately put on a transport plane bound for Australia's Cocos Islands.

The remaining four were scheduled for departure to the Cocos on Monday. All eight will be quarantined on the island before being sent on to the Melbourne Zoo and Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

The elephants' delivery was part of a joint cooperation in animal management agreement signed between Thailand and Australia, under which Australia will receive eight Asian elephants form Thailand in exchange for koalas, kangaroos and other marsupials from Australia for the Chiang Mai Night Safari.

The Chiang Mai zoo is already controversial among animal conservationists in Thailand. A pet project of Thailand's billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the zoo sparked an uproar last year when its director revealed he was planning to open a restaurant on the premises specializing in exotic meats.

The exotic restaurant idea was eventually dropped.

Thai conservationists blocked a scheduled shipment to Australia of the eight elephants in June, arguing that the animals should have their DNA tested first to determine whether they were tame or from the wild.

Trade in domesticated elephants is legal in Thailand, where the pachyderm is listed as a draft animal and as such can be private property. Trade in wild elephants, however, is forbidden under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

It has not yet been verified that the eight elephants destined for Australian zoos were from wild or tame stock, said Wildlife Fund Thailand secretary-general Suraphol Duangkhae.

"We don't expect Australia to return the elephants but we want to use this case to highlight the need for DNA-testing and transparency to guide all future trade in elephants," said Suraphol.

Thailand, where there are more than 2,000 domesticated elephants, is a major source country for pachyderm exports worldwide. At least 40 elephants were reportedly exported from the kingdom between 2000 and 2005, DPA reported.

Source: Antara - Indonesian National News Agency - 1 August 2006

[Galong]

what's all the fuss about.

Taronga Park zoo and Melbourne zoo are world renown. They have excellent vets and facilities, the elephants will be fed on a regular basis and they will enjoying the company of other elephants.

Better than walking the steets of some god forsaken tourist trap waiting for handouts of old sugar cane and taro roots.

The problem is that there is a possibility that the elephants were CAUGHT IN THE WILD. In other words, higher profit as they didn't have to be purchased.

Sending domesticated Thai elephants to Australia is, in my opinion, a good option. They can't be treated any worse there that in the Land of Smiles. I seriously doubt that the Aussie zoo handlers will beat the crap out of the elephants like to Thai mahouts do.

[terry57]

what's all the fuss about.

Taronga Park zoo and Melbourne zoo are world renown. They have excellent vets and facilities, the elephants will be fed on a regular basis and they will enjoying the company of other elephants.

Better than walking the steets of some god forsaken tourist trap waiting for handouts of old sugar cane and taro roots.

have been to both those zoo's and they truely are world class.

the elephant enclosures are architect designed, the existing elephants are well looked after, well cared for and living a very contented life.

the australian government takes its responsibility towards animal welfare extremely serious and id suggest that a few of the doubt'ers need to pop over and have a look at what is going on over there.

it has nothing at all to do with the crick'y brigade and thailand would be well served to take a serious look at ridding elephants from the streets of bangkok and all other tourist hot spots.

i was in krabi 2 months ago and the gibbons are still on the street being offered to tourists for photos. off topic i know but what is going on here as i thought this practice was all but finished.

only last night did i see a baby elephant being paraded around rambuttri street, banglampu for the tourist delight and thats got to be a bad thing.

in conclusion, the elephants heading for australia are going to a paradise for pachyderms and i can assure all you people that they will be heading towards a well cared for future.

definately better than there counterparts here that have found themselves out of work and there keepers struggling to feed them.

btw. i do realise that the elephants working tourist resorts are mainly there so there keepers can afford to feed them but what a shocking way to have to earn a living, especially plowing the streets of los.

[Nignoy]

Thai elephants to face pressure to breed

THE first attempt at artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in Australia has failed, putting pressure on Sydney and Melbourne zoos to use the technique with their Thai elephants.

Zoos say that rather than being used to attract customers, which would be a breach of international wildlife trade law, the eight Thai elephants will form the nucleus of a breeding herd for conservation.

But no Asian elephant has yet been successfully bred in Australia.

The difficult technique was tried with a bull, Putramas, and a cow, Permai, both aged 16, at the Perth Zoo, it was learned yesterday.

However, the procedure had failed to achieve a pregnancy, a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said.

"AI with elephants is a very invasive procedure that can require very heavy-handed tactics," said the RSPCA's Jane Speechley.

"The lack of success in Perth shows that the procedure is in its infancy, and these elephants should not be subjected to these kind of experiments."

Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the zoos' overall breeding program was a significant and exciting attempt to help an endangered species.

Neither the Sydney nor Melbourne zoo officials could be reached for comment.

Senator Campbell welcomed the transfer of the elephants, which was accomplished with the help of the Thai Government.

Last night the zoos were hoping to complete the transfer to the Cocos Islands for further quarantine before the eight are flown to mainland Australia — four cows and one bull to Sydney's Taronga, and three cows to the Melbourne Zoo.

Already long delayed by court action by Australian animal welfare groups, the departure of the eight from Thailand was held up by a local protest blockade in June, forcing the postponement of the shipment.

Early on Sunday the elephants were transferred from a quarantine station in rural Thailand to a military base in Bangkok, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"Right from the outset there has been no transparency in this," campaigner Rebecca Brand said.

Taronga Zoo said in a statement that late on Sunday the eight beasts were flown out, bound for the Cocos, on a Russian air freighter, but yesterday confirmed that only four had left on the first flight.

Instead of the planned Antanov aircraft, they were limited to a smaller Ilyushin, and the second group of four was expected to arrive in the Cocos about 9 o'clock last night.

The animals, which are travelling in individual boxes, had arrived safely and in good condition, Taronga Zoo media manager Mark Williams said.

Taronga director Guy Cooper, who was personally overseeing the shipment, said it was a tremendous feeling to be bringing the "precious" cargo to Australian territory, and one step closer to their eventual homes in the zoos' multimillion-dollar facilities.

Cocos Islands Council chief executive Michael Simms said the elephants would be kept in extensive yards and sheds on West Island.

These are being maintained by the zoos under the supervision of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. "Everyone here is just so happy to see these animals," Mr Simms said. "There are no negative feelings at all."

Source: The Age - 1 August 2006

Has any one given any thought to the enormous stress these animals were put under just getting them into their transport boxes and into the plane, in april 1983 I was responsible for the movement and transport of not 8 but 48 young african elephant from South africa to zoos in europe, because we were professionals we took the time and the care to accustom our charges to their transport crates and the movement in and out of the planes and trucks, on every step of the journey there were trained specialised zoological and veterinary staff , what I can read out of the above report the animals were moved from Kanchanaburi to utapao and then loaded straight onto the plane, were they accompanied by veterinary or zoo staff did they get a packed lunch. these animals are having millions spent on their new facilities,why not go the whole nine yards and employ a Reputable professional company who specialise in transporting exotic wildlife around the world?? Nignoy

[Johpa]

Melbourne is home to the world's leading and most progressive zoo architect. I am hopeful for these elephants.

How is the residency of a zoo architect , going to help the elephants now on their way to melbourne zoo, it is the keepers who will be scrutinised and their knowledge put to the test, now the deed has happened, just wish everyone concerned great success with their new charges Nignoy

The design of the zoo is critical for building a humane residence and establishing a breeding population. You can have a great keeper in an antiquated zoo and not have a breeding population. You can have a idiot as a keeper in a well designed zoo and simply fire them and hire someone better. Designing a natural habitat is the critical first element.

As to other points posters have raised:

It is simply non-sensical to have captured wild elephants when there are so many unemployed elephants currently in the Kingdom available for sale.

There is no way to eliminate the stress involved when relocating elephants, whether by truck or plane. Jeez, there are plenty of humans who get stressed out by flying. But the stress is temporary and all the small little things we humans may do to alleviate that stress to the pachyderm are made to make the humans involved feel better. Whether those efforts significantly lessen the stress on the elephants can never be known.

By the way, there is at least one resident in Bangkok who was involved in the genuine "Jumbo Drop" caper that was later turned into the Disney movie. What was never noted in the film that with a sedated elephant flying at elevation over Laos in an unpressurized plane, the drop in outside air pressure caused the inside intestinal pressure to let loose, and there was, I was told, quite the debate whether to scrap the plane or attempt to clean it up at the end of the mission.

[Jai Dee]

Australia will send 58 rare animals to Thailand this month

Australia will send 58 rare animals to Thailand this month after receiving eight elephants from Thailand under an exchange programme.

Zoological Park Organization director Sopon Damnui (โสภณ ดำนุ้ย) said the animals from Australia include koalas, red kangaroos, great grey kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes and emus.

Mr. Sopon said two koalas and two red pandas will be kept at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok and the rest will be sent to Night Safari in Chiang Mai.

He said the delivery of koalas, which are strongly protected in Australia, to Thailand means Australia trusts in the standard of Thai zoos.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 August 2006

[terry57]

Thai elephants to face pressure to breed

THE first attempt at artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in Australia has failed, putting pressure on Sydney and Melbourne zoos to use the technique with their Thai elephants.

Zoos say that rather than being used to attract customers, which would be a breach of international wildlife trade law, the eight Thai elephants will form the nucleus of a breeding herd for conservation.

But no Asian elephant has yet been successfully bred in Australia.

The difficult technique was tried with a bull, Putramas, and a cow, Permai, both aged 16, at the Perth Zoo, it was learned yesterday.

However, the procedure had failed to achieve a pregnancy, a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said.

"AI with elephants is a very invasive procedure that can require very heavy-handed tactics," said the RSPCA's Jane Speechley.

"The lack of success in Perth shows that the procedure is in its infancy, and these elephants should not be subjected to these kind of experiments."

Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the zoos' overall breeding program was a significant and exciting attempt to help an endangered species.

Neither the Sydney nor Melbourne zoo officials could be reached for comment.

Senator Campbell welcomed the transfer of the elephants, which was accomplished with the help of the Thai Government.

Last night the zoos were hoping to complete the transfer to the Cocos Islands for further quarantine before the eight are flown to mainland Australia — four cows and one bull to Sydney's Taronga, and three cows to the Melbourne Zoo.

Already long delayed by court action by Australian animal welfare groups, the departure of the eight from Thailand was held up by a local protest blockade in June, forcing the postponement of the shipment.

Early on Sunday the elephants were transferred from a quarantine station in rural Thailand to a military base in Bangkok, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"Right from the outset there has been no transparency in this," campaigner Rebecca Brand said.

Taronga Zoo said in a statement that late on Sunday the eight beasts were flown out, bound for the Cocos, on a Russian air freighter, but yesterday confirmed that only four had left on the first flight.

Instead of the planned Antanov aircraft, they were limited to a smaller Ilyushin, and the second group of four was expected to arrive in the Cocos about 9 o'clock last night.

The animals, which are travelling in individual boxes, had arrived safely and in good condition, Taronga Zoo media manager Mark Williams said.

Taronga director Guy Cooper, who was personally overseeing the shipment, said it was a tremendous feeling to be bringing the "precious" cargo to Australian territory, and one step closer to their eventual homes in the zoos' multimillion-dollar facilities.

Cocos Islands Council chief executive Michael Simms said the elephants would be kept in extensive yards and sheds on West Island.

These are being maintained by the zoos under the supervision of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. "Everyone here is just so happy to see these animals," Mr Simms said. "There are no negative feelings at all."

Source: The Age - 1 August 2006

Has any one given any thought to the enormous stress these animals were put under just getting them into their transport boxes and into the plane, in april 1983 I was responsible for the movement and transport of not 8 but 48 young african elephant from South africa to zoos in europe, because we were professionals we took the time and the care to accustom our charges to their transport crates and the movement in and out of the planes and trucks, on every step of the journey there were trained specialised zoological and veterinary staff , what I can read out of the above report the animals were moved from Kanchanaburi to utapao and then loaded straight onto the plane, were they accompanied by veterinary or zoo staff did they get a packed lunch. these animals are having millions spent on their new facilities,why not go the whole nine yards and employ a Reputable professional company who specialise in transporting exotic wildlife around the world?? Nignoy

nignoy,

i respect your qualification to comment on the above thread as you are very learn'd in the care and transport of animals.

i realise your concern for the animals is paramount but i feel that you give no respect at all to the people who are charged with the transport and care of the pachyderms.

it is not any old john that does this work but highly qualified people who are professional at there jobs and also have the elephants best intererest at heart.

considering how much time, money and effort is applied to this movement the last thing that any of these people would want is for a stressed beast to die in transport.

it is impossible to not have the elephants under a certain amount of stress but the professionals keep this to a minimum as you would be well aware of.

i am not aware of any elephant who has died as a result of being transported to australia but please correct me if i am wrong.

if you have any further knowledge that the animals are being mistreated on this mission please let me know and i will present your evidence to the relevant authority on my return home.

the goverment is very commited to these animals and any person mistreating them would be subject to a jail term.

please approach this subject with factual information and not "well maybe's"

please take my post in context to this thread and in no way against yourself as i realise you are serious animal supporter as my self is also.

cheers

[terry57]

Thai groups protest stealth export of eight elephants

Bangkok (ANTARA News) - Thai wildlife conservationists on Monday protested the weekend delivery of eight elephants to Australia, claiming the animals had not yet been DNA-tested to determine whether they were from the wild which would violate international laws in animal trade.

A score of wildlife activists gathered outside the Australian embassy to Bangkok waving banners that read, "Australia is a thief," and "Aussie stole eight baby elephants from Thailand," to hand diplomats a protest letter over a controversial animal-swap deal between Australia and Thailand that was stealthily transacted at the weekend.

On Saturday night, Thai authorities sneaked eight baby pachyderms out the back gate of a Kanchanaburi animal hospital, avoiding protestors who had gathered at the front gate, and transported the animals under a 100-strong police and army escort to U-Tapao Air Base where four of the mammoth passengers were immediately put on a transport plane bound for Australia's Cocos Islands.

The remaining four were scheduled for departure to the Cocos on Monday. All eight will be quarantined on the island before being sent on to the Melbourne Zoo and Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

The elephants' delivery was part of a joint cooperation in animal management agreement signed between Thailand and Australia, under which Australia will receive eight Asian elephants form Thailand in exchange for koalas, kangaroos and other marsupials from Australia for the Chiang Mai Night Safari.

The Chiang Mai zoo is already controversial among animal conservationists in Thailand. A pet project of Thailand's billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the zoo sparked an uproar last year when its director revealed he was planning to open a restaurant on the premises specializing in exotic meats.

The exotic restaurant idea was eventually dropped.

Thai conservationists blocked a scheduled shipment to Australia of the eight elephants in June, arguing that the animals should have their DNA tested first to determine whether they were tame or from the wild.

Trade in domesticated elephants is legal in Thailand, where the pachyderm is listed as a draft animal and as such can be private property. Trade in wild elephants, however, is forbidden under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

It has not yet been verified that the eight elephants destined for Australian zoos were from wild or tame stock, said Wildlife Fund Thailand secretary-general Suraphol Duangkhae.

"We don't expect Australia to return the elephants but we want to use this case to highlight the need for DNA-testing and transparency to guide all future trade in elephants," said Suraphol.

Thailand, where there are more than 2,000 domesticated elephants, is a major source country for pachyderm exports worldwide. At least 40 elephants were reportedly exported from the kingdom between 2000 and 2005, DPA reported.

Source: Antara - Indonesian National News Agency - 1 August 2006

"quote" "australia is a thief" "aussie stole eight baby elephants from thailand"

the protesters are going to go a long way in there cause if this is the only line of defence they can muster.

i ponder this question.?

who wrote there frigging lines for them ?

A. mickey mouse.

B. or jumbo himself

who ever it was they need to get a new author as this character ain't doing there cause no good at all.

[Nignoy]

Thai elephants to face pressure to breed

THE first attempt at artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in Australia has failed, putting pressure on Sydney and Melbourne zoos to use the technique with their Thai elephants.

Zoos say that rather than being used to attract customers, which would be a breach of international wildlife trade law, the eight Thai elephants will form the nucleus of a breeding herd for conservation.

But no Asian elephant has yet been successfully bred in Australia.

The difficult technique was tried with a bull, Putramas, and a cow, Permai, both aged 16, at the Perth Zoo, it was learned yesterday.

However, the procedure had failed to achieve a pregnancy, a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said.

"AI with elephants is a very invasive procedure that can require very heavy-handed tactics," said the RSPCA's Jane Speechley.

"The lack of success in Perth shows that the procedure is in its infancy, and these elephants should not be subjected to these kind of experiments."

Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the zoos' overall breeding program was a significant and exciting attempt to help an endangered species.

Neither the Sydney nor Melbourne zoo officials could be reached for comment.

Senator Campbell welcomed the transfer of the elephants, which was accomplished with the help of the Thai Government.

Last night the zoos were hoping to complete the transfer to the Cocos Islands for further quarantine before the eight are flown to mainland Australia — four cows and one bull to Sydney's Taronga, and three cows to the Melbourne Zoo.

Already long delayed by court action by Australian animal welfare groups, the departure of the eight from Thailand was held up by a local protest blockade in June, forcing the postponement of the shipment.

Early on Sunday the elephants were transferred from a quarantine station in rural Thailand to a military base in Bangkok, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"Right from the outset there has been no transparency in this," campaigner Rebecca Brand said.

Taronga Zoo said in a statement that late on Sunday the eight beasts were flown out, bound for the Cocos, on a Russian air freighter, but yesterday confirmed that only four had left on the first flight.

Instead of the planned Antanov aircraft, they were limited to a smaller Ilyushin, and the second group of four was expected to arrive in the Cocos about 9 o'clock last night.

The animals, which are travelling in individual boxes, had arrived safely and in good condition, Taronga Zoo media manager Mark Williams said.

Taronga director Guy Cooper, who was personally overseeing the shipment, said it was a tremendous feeling to be bringing the "precious" cargo to Australian territory, and one step closer to their eventual homes in the zoos' multimillion-dollar facilities.

Cocos Islands Council chief executive Michael Simms said the elephants would be kept in extensive yards and sheds on West Island.

These are being maintained by the zoos under the supervision of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. "Everyone here is just so happy to see these animals," Mr Simms said. "There are no negative feelings at all."

Source: The Age - 1 August 2006

Has any one given any thought to the enormous stress these animals were put under just getting them into their transport boxes and into the plane, in april 1983 I was responsible for the movement and transport of not 8 but 48 young african elephant from South africa to zoos in europe, because we were professionals we took the time and the care to accustom our charges to their transport crates and the movement in and out of the planes and trucks, on every step of the journey there were trained specialised zoological and veterinary staff , what I can read out of the above report the animals were moved from Kanchanaburi to utapao and then loaded straight onto the plane, were they accompanied by veterinary or zoo staff did they get a packed lunch. these animals are having millions spent on their new facilities,why not go the whole nine yards and employ a Reputable professional company who specialise in transporting exotic wildlife around the world?? Nignoy

nignoy,

i respect your qualification to comment on the above thread as you are very learn'd in the care and transport of animals.

i realise your concern for the animals is paramount but i feel that you give no respect at all to the people who are charged with the transport and care of the pachyderms.

it is not any old john that does this work but highly qualified people who are professional at there jobs and also have the elephants best intererest at heart.

considering how much time, money and effort is applied to this movement the last thing that any of these people would want is for a stressed beast to die in transport.

it is impossible to not have the elephants under a certain amount of stress but the professionals keep this to a minimum as you would be well aware of.

i am not aware of any elephant who has died as a result of being transported to australia but please correct me if i am wrong.

if you have any further knowledge that the animals are being mistreated on this mission please let me know and i will present your evidence to the relevant authority on my return home.

the goverment is very commited to these animals and any person mistreating them would be subject to a jail term.

please approach this subject with factual information and not "well maybe's"

please take my post in context to this thread and in no way against yourself as i realise you are serious animal supporter as my self is also.

cheers

I have no knowledge of an an elephant being injured or dieing on its way to australia, my whole point is that a professional Zoological Shipping Company , would have handled this whole operation differently,and definitely with less publicity Nignoy

[terry57]

Thai elephants to face pressure to breed

THE first attempt at artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in Australia has failed, putting pressure on Sydney and Melbourne zoos to use the technique with their Thai elephants.

Zoos say that rather than being used to attract customers, which would be a breach of international wildlife trade law, the eight Thai elephants will form the nucleus of a breeding herd for conservation.

But no Asian elephant has yet been successfully bred in Australia.

The difficult technique was tried with a bull, Putramas, and a cow, Permai, both aged 16, at the Perth Zoo, it was learned yesterday.

However, the procedure had failed to achieve a pregnancy, a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said.

"AI with elephants is a very invasive procedure that can require very heavy-handed tactics," said the RSPCA's Jane Speechley.

"The lack of success in Perth shows that the procedure is in its infancy, and these elephants should not be subjected to these kind of experiments."

Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the zoos' overall breeding program was a significant and exciting attempt to help an endangered species.

Neither the Sydney nor Melbourne zoo officials could be reached for comment.

Senator Campbell welcomed the transfer of the elephants, which was accomplished with the help of the Thai Government.

Last night the zoos were hoping to complete the transfer to the Cocos Islands for further quarantine before the eight are flown to mainland Australia — four cows and one bull to Sydney's Taronga, and three cows to the Melbourne Zoo.

Already long delayed by court action by Australian animal welfare groups, the departure of the eight from Thailand was held up by a local protest blockade in June, forcing the postponement of the shipment.

Early on Sunday the elephants were transferred from a quarantine station in rural Thailand to a military base in Bangkok, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"Right from the outset there has been no transparency in this," campaigner Rebecca Brand said.

Taronga Zoo said in a statement that late on Sunday the eight beasts were flown out, bound for the Cocos, on a Russian air freighter, but yesterday confirmed that only four had left on the first flight.

Instead of the planned Antanov aircraft, they were limited to a smaller Ilyushin, and the second group of four was expected to arrive in the Cocos about 9 o'clock last night.

The animals, which are travelling in individual boxes, had arrived safely and in good condition, Taronga Zoo media manager Mark Williams said.

Taronga director Guy Cooper, who was personally overseeing the shipment, said it was a tremendous feeling to be bringing the "precious" cargo to Australian territory, and one step closer to their eventual homes in the zoos' multimillion-dollar facilities.

Cocos Islands Council chief executive Michael Simms said the elephants would be kept in extensive yards and sheds on West Island.

These are being maintained by the zoos under the supervision of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. "Everyone here is just so happy to see these animals," Mr Simms said. "There are no negative feelings at all."

Source: The Age - 1 August 2006

Has any one given any thought to the enormous stress these animals were put under just getting them into their transport boxes and into the plane, in april 1983 I was responsible for the movement and transport of not 8 but 48 young african elephant from South africa to zoos in europe, because we were professionals we took the time and the care to accustom our charges to their transport crates and the movement in and out of the planes and trucks, on every step of the journey there were trained specialised zoological and veterinary staff , what I can read out of the above report the animals were moved from Kanchanaburi to utapao and then loaded straight onto the plane, were they accompanied by veterinary or zoo staff did they get a packed lunch. these animals are having millions spent on their new facilities,why not go the whole nine yards and employ a Reputable professional company who specialise in transporting exotic wildlife around the world?? Nignoy

nignoy,

i respect your qualification to comment on the above thread as you are very learn'd in the care and transport of animals.

i realise your concern for the animals is paramount but i feel that you give no respect at all to the people who are charged with the transport and care of the pachyderms.

it is not any old john that does this work but highly qualified people who are professional at there jobs and also have the elephants best intererest at heart.

considering how much time, money and effort is applied to this movement the last thing that any of these people would want is for a stressed beast to die in transport.

it is impossible to not have the elephants under a certain amount of stress but the professionals keep this to a minimum as you would be well aware of.

i am not aware of any elephant who has died as a result of being transported to australia but please correct me if i am wrong.

if you have any further knowledge that the animals are being mistreated on this mission please let me know and i will present your evidence to the relevant authority on my return home.

the goverment is very commited to these animals and any person mistreating them would be subject to a jail term.

please approach this subject with factual information and not "well maybe's"

please take my post in context to this thread and in no way against yourself as i realise you are serious animal supporter as my self is also.

cheers

I have no knowledge of an an elephant being injured or dieing on its way to australia, my whole point is that a professional Zoological Shipping Company , would have handled this whole operation differently,and definitely with less publicity Nignoy

were you there when the pachyderms were loaded. ?

what did the loading professionals do so differently than you would have done ?

did the beasts suffer or end up under more stress than is acceptable ?

definately with less publicity ? dont get your point. does this affect the elephants ?

give me some facts please and i repeat my offer to present them on your behalf.

cheers

[Nignoy]

Thai elephants to face pressure to breed

THE first attempt at artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in Australia has failed, putting pressure on Sydney and Melbourne zoos to use the technique with their Thai elephants.

Zoos say that rather than being used to attract customers, which would be a breach of international wildlife trade law, the eight Thai elephants will form the nucleus of a breeding herd for conservation.

But no Asian elephant has yet been successfully bred in Australia.

The difficult technique was tried with a bull, Putramas, and a cow, Permai, both aged 16, at the Perth Zoo, it was learned yesterday.

However, the procedure had failed to achieve a pregnancy, a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said.

"AI with elephants is a very invasive procedure that can require very heavy-handed tactics," said the RSPCA's Jane Speechley.

"The lack of success in Perth shows that the procedure is in its infancy, and these elephants should not be subjected to these kind of experiments."

Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the zoos' overall breeding program was a significant and exciting attempt to help an endangered species.

Neither the Sydney nor Melbourne zoo officials could be reached for comment.

Senator Campbell welcomed the transfer of the elephants, which was accomplished with the help of the Thai Government.

Last night the zoos were hoping to complete the transfer to the Cocos Islands for further quarantine before the eight are flown to mainland Australia — four cows and one bull to Sydney's Taronga, and three cows to the Melbourne Zoo.

Already long delayed by court action by Australian animal welfare groups, the departure of the eight from Thailand was held up by a local protest blockade in June, forcing the postponement of the shipment.

Early on Sunday the elephants were transferred from a quarantine station in rural Thailand to a military base in Bangkok, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"Right from the outset there has been no transparency in this," campaigner Rebecca Brand said.

Taronga Zoo said in a statement that late on Sunday the eight beasts were flown out, bound for the Cocos, on a Russian air freighter, but yesterday confirmed that only four had left on the first flight.

Instead of the planned Antanov aircraft, they were limited to a smaller Ilyushin, and the second group of four was expected to arrive in the Cocos about 9 o'clock last night.

The animals, which are travelling in individual boxes, had arrived safely and in good condition, Taronga Zoo media manager Mark Williams said.

Taronga director Guy Cooper, who was personally overseeing the shipment, said it was a tremendous feeling to be bringing the "precious" cargo to Australian territory, and one step closer to their eventual homes in the zoos' multimillion-dollar facilities.

Cocos Islands Council chief executive Michael Simms said the elephants would be kept in extensive yards and sheds on West Island.

These are being maintained by the zoos under the supervision of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. "Everyone here is just so happy to see these animals," Mr Simms said. "There are no negative feelings at all."

Source: The Age - 1 August 2006

Has any one given any thought to the enormous stress these animals were put under just getting them into their transport boxes and into the plane, in april 1983 I was responsible for the movement and transport of not 8 but 48 young african elephant from South africa to zoos in europe, because we were professionals we took the time and the care to accustom our charges to their transport crates and the movement in and out of the planes and trucks, on every step of the journey there were trained specialised zoological and veterinary staff , what I can read out of the above report the animals were moved from Kanchanaburi to utapao and then loaded straight onto the plane, were they accompanied by veterinary or zoo staff did they get a packed lunch. these animals are having millions spent on their new facilities,why not go the whole nine yards and employ a Reputable professional company who specialise in transporting exotic wildlife around the world?? Nignoy

nignoy,

i respect your qualification to comment on the above thread as you are very learn'd in the care and transport of animals.

i realise your concern for the animals is paramount but i feel that you give no respect at all to the people who are charged with the transport and care of the pachyderms.

it is not any old john that does this work but highly qualified people who are professional at there jobs and also have the elephants best intererest at heart.

considering how much time, money and effort is applied to this movement the last thing that any of these people would want is for a stressed beast to die in transport.

it is impossible to not have the elephants under a certain amount of stress but the professionals keep this to a minimum as you would be well aware of.

i am not aware of any elephant who has died as a result of being transported to australia but please correct me if i am wrong.

if you have any further knowledge that the animals are being mistreated on this mission please let me know and i will present your evidence to the relevant authority on my return home.

the goverment is very commited to these animals and any person mistreating them would be subject to a jail term.

please approach this subject with factual information and not "well maybe's"

please take my post in context to this thread and in no way against yourself as i realise you are serious animal supporter as my self is also.

cheers

I have no knowledge of an an elephant being injured or dieing on its way to australia, my whole point is that a professional Zoological Shipping Company , would have handled this whole operation differently,and definitely with less publicity Nignoy

were you there when the pachyderms were loaded. ?

what did the loading professionals do so differently than you would have done ?

did the beasts suffer or end up under more stress than is acceptable ?

definately with less publicity ? dont get your point. does this affect the elephants ?

give me some facts please and i repeat my offer to present them on your behalf.

cheers

There are Reputable international Companies who specialise in the transport and relocation of zoological animals world wide who would have handled this whole operation differently, I would have liked to have been at the loading, in fact I would have enjoyed being part of the whole setup, it just turned into a bit of a fiasco , well meaning animal lovers letting their hearts rule their common sense, I would have thought that it was in the recieving zoos interests to have sorted the DNA question in the early stages of the negotiations as is the practise with most endangered species.I am in no doubt that the future of the elephants is a lot rosier in their new homes, No disrespect to any of the handlers and persons who helped in this transport, was purely my opinion ,that maybe it could have been handled differently Nignoy

[terry57]

Thai elephants to face pressure to breed

THE first attempt at artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in Australia has failed, putting pressure on Sydney and Melbourne zoos to use the technique with their Thai elephants.

Zoos say that rather than being used to attract customers, which would be a breach of international wildlife trade law, the eight Thai elephants will form the nucleus of a breeding herd for conservation.

But no Asian elephant has yet been successfully bred in Australia.

The difficult technique was tried with a bull, Putramas, and a cow, Permai, both aged 16, at the Perth Zoo, it was learned yesterday.

However, the procedure had failed to achieve a pregnancy, a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said.

"AI with elephants is a very invasive procedure that can require very heavy-handed tactics," said the RSPCA's Jane Speechley.

"The lack of success in Perth shows that the procedure is in its infancy, and these elephants should not be subjected to these kind of experiments."

Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the zoos' overall breeding program was a significant and exciting attempt to help an endangered species.

Neither the Sydney nor Melbourne zoo officials could be reached for comment.

Senator Campbell welcomed the transfer of the elephants, which was accomplished with the help of the Thai Government.

Last night the zoos were hoping to complete the transfer to the Cocos Islands for further quarantine before the eight are flown to mainland Australia — four cows and one bull to Sydney's Taronga, and three cows to the Melbourne Zoo.

Already long delayed by court action by Australian animal welfare groups, the departure of the eight from Thailand was held up by a local protest blockade in June, forcing the postponement of the shipment.

Early on Sunday the elephants were transferred from a quarantine station in rural Thailand to a military base in Bangkok, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"Right from the outset there has been no transparency in this," campaigner Rebecca Brand said.

Taronga Zoo said in a statement that late on Sunday the eight beasts were flown out, bound for the Cocos, on a Russian air freighter, but yesterday confirmed that only four had left on the first flight.

Instead of the planned Antanov aircraft, they were limited to a smaller Ilyushin, and the second group of four was expected to arrive in the Cocos about 9 o'clock last night.

The animals, which are travelling in individual boxes, had arrived safely and in good condition, Taronga Zoo media manager Mark Williams said.

Taronga director Guy Cooper, who was personally overseeing the shipment, said it was a tremendous feeling to be bringing the "precious" cargo to Australian territory, and one step closer to their eventual homes in the zoos' multimillion-dollar facilities.

Cocos Islands Council chief executive Michael Simms said the elephants would be kept in extensive yards and sheds on West Island.

These are being maintained by the zoos under the supervision of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. "Everyone here is just so happy to see these animals," Mr Simms said. "There are no negative feelings at all."

Source: The Age - 1 August 2006

Has any one given any thought to the enormous stress these animals were put under just getting them into their transport boxes and into the plane, in april 1983 I was responsible for the movement and transport of not 8 but 48 young african elephant from South africa to zoos in europe, because we were professionals we took the time and the care to accustom our charges to their transport crates and the movement in and out of the planes and trucks, on every step of the journey there were trained specialised zoological and veterinary staff , what I can read out of the above report the animals were moved from Kanchanaburi to utapao and then loaded straight onto the plane, were they accompanied by veterinary or zoo staff did they get a packed lunch. these animals are having millions spent on their new facilities,why not go the whole nine yards and employ a Reputable professional company who specialise in transporting exotic wildlife around the world?? Nignoy

nignoy,

i respect your qualification to comment on the above thread as you are very learn'd in the care and transport of animals.

i realise your concern for the animals is paramount but i feel that you give no respect at all to the people who are charged with the transport and care of the pachyderms.

it is not any old john that does this work but highly qualified people who are professional at there jobs and also have the elephants best intererest at heart.

considering how much time, money and effort is applied to this movement the last thing that any of these people would want is for a stressed beast to die in transport.

it is impossible to not have the elephants under a certain amount of stress but the professionals keep this to a minimum as you would be well aware of.

i am not aware of any elephant who has died as a result of being transported to australia but please correct me if i am wrong.

if you have any further knowledge that the animals are being mistreated on this mission please let me know and i will present your evidence to the relevant authority on my return home.

the goverment is very commited to these animals and any person mistreating them would be subject to a jail term.

please approach this subject with factual information and not "well maybe's"

please take my post in context to this thread and in no way against yourself as i realise you are serious animal supporter as my self is also.

cheers

I have no knowledge of an an elephant being injured or dieing on its way to australia, my whole point is that a professional Zoological Shipping Company , would have handled this whole operation differently,and definitely with less publicity Nignoy

were you there when the pachyderms were loaded. ?

what did the loading professionals do so differently than you would have done ?

did the beasts suffer or end up under more stress than is acceptable ?

definately with less publicity ? dont get your point. does this affect the elephants ?

give me some facts please and i repeat my offer to present them on your behalf.

cheers

There are Reputable international Companies who specialise in the transport and relocation of zoological animals world wide who would have handled this whole operation differently, I would have liked to have been at the loading, in fact I would have enjoyed being part of the whole setup, it just turned into a bit of a fiasco , well meaning animal lovers letting their hearts rule their common sense, I would have thought that it was in the recieving zoos interests to have sorted the DNA question in the early stages of the negotiations as is the practise with most endangered species.I am in no doubt that the future of the elephants is a lot rosier in their new homes, No disrespect to any of the handlers and persons who helped in this transport, was purely my opinion ,that maybe it could have been handled differently Nignoy

the D.N.A. question, i agree with you totally as this would of saved a lot of drama and inuendo.

the australian authority's should of been more aware that this very point would be raised and could possibly give cause to a court action.

considering they receive animals from overseas on a regular basis its unforgivable that this was overlooked.

im sure that they will not let this happen again as it has been a financial disaster that us tax payers will ultimately pay for.

i would rather my tax dollars be forwarded to the thai authority's to rid the streets of los off these poor long suffering beasts.

i also would of liked you to be present at the loading nignoy so you could answer my question with facts and not what you perceive.

my question will remain unanswered unless someone who was there can give me a first hand account of the loading process.

i repeat my question : what was done or could of been done differently to reduce the stress

of the loading of the pachyderms ?

as far as this whole process turning into a fiasco, you have hit the nail on the head.

it has left the australian goverment wanting and also the protesters with there misinformed banter looking extremely silly.

i refer to this little jem of a comment.

"aussie murderers of baby elephants"

cheers

ps the only ones to win out of this are the elephants themselves as they are headed to paradise and to top it off the'll have a great view of the sydney harbour bridge.

so need need to worry people as its a win win situation and the protesters have only deprived the pachyderms from reaching nirvana earlier.

im sure if the beasts could speak they would of informed the protesters to take a hike.

[Jai Dee]

JUMBO farce

Conservationists and NGOs are at loggerheads over whether controls on animal registration and exports are adequate; critics say the system is full of loopholes.

After one and a half years of controversy, eight Thai elephants are finally on their way to new homes in Australia. Local and regional conservation groups, however, are still up in arms about the "secret" journey made by the last four elephants on Monday night.

Rather than bring an end to the controversy and protests, Monday's shipment of elephants appears to have raised opponents' ire even further, with conservationists vowing to take the case to the Administrative Court.

They say the government has failed to protect the animals despite their status as a revered national symbol.

Demands are also continuing for DNA tests to identify whether the elephants were taken from the wild or were domesticated, as Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat and the Zoological Park Orgaisation of Thailand (ZPO) had promised.

After talking to people involved in this issue, The Nation found there was enough evidence to show that the conservationists' doubts about the origin of the eight elephants were reasonable.

At the same time, it is widely accepted that the country is not ready to use DNA testing as the way to prove elephants' origins.

With advances in biotechnology, DNA testing is not a difficult process.

However, this means of tracing the origin of the elephants seems "useless" to Thanong Nateepitak, the deputy director-general of the ZPO.

He said he would have no problems actually carrying out the DNA tests as demanded by conservationists. But his question was: With which other elephants would they compare the eight jumbos' DNA "fingerprint".

"The best thing we can do - and have already done to a certain extent - is to collect DNA samples of all elephants in the country. We don't know where their parents are. Their fathers might have died, and their mothers might be roaming who-knows-where?"

Soraida Salwala, the secretary-general of the Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, however, said DNA tests were the only hope of proving the elephants' origins since all current government measures to protect wild elephants from being traded were inadequate.

State officials directly involved in the issue believe this as well. However, they did not want to reveal their identities, because of fears about losing their jobs.

A senior officer at the ZPO said conservationists' lack of trust in the government system aimed at stopping wild elephants from being poached and exported was no surprise.

"There are a lot of loopholes in the government system," he said.

The official's comments are supported by information from the DLD's Elephant Institute, which is responsible for implanting microchips in elephants.

Statistics from the institute show that between 2004 and 2005 100 baby elephants, aged less than two years, were sent to the institute to have microchips implanted.

However, the data shows that only 64 could be traced to their parents while it was unclear whether the remaining 36 were captive-bred or wild.

Transported from Burma

A veterinarian from the institute, who asked not to be named, said the duty of the institute was to provide medical healthcare and implant microchips, not to check the ownership certificates or ID tickets of the elephants.

However, he said he noticed that every year many baby elephants are reported as being born in Mae Sot, then moved to Surin province in the Northeast.

Mae Sot is a district in Tak province, which borders Burma. Hunting wild elephants was legal in Surin in the past. Many villagers poached the elephants to use in the logging industry.

Now, however, wild elephants are protected by law. And poaching is banned. But Surin is still home to hundreds of elephants which - local villagers claim - are the offspring of wild elephants caught generations ago.

The DLD's information agrees with that of conservation groups such as Friends of The Asian Elephant Foundation and Wildlife Fund Thailand, who say that wild elephant calves have been poached from Burma and transported to Thailand via Mae Sot.

The calves then become domesticated using loopholes in the registration system, Soraida said.

Domestic elephants are controlled by two laws - the Interior Ministry's 1939 Draught Animal Act and the DLD's 1956 Animal Epidemic Control Act.

The Draught Animal Act requires all domestic elephants less than eight years old to be registered and issued with an ID ticket. The ticket is only issued to elephants that are born in captivity.

The Animal Epidemic Control Act authorises the DLD to implant microchips into domestic elephants to record their health and medical service history.

Thanakhom Thananant, head of the Draught Animal Registration Division at the Interior Ministry, admitted there was no exact method of checking the origin of elephants registered with the division.

The division relied on information from the owners of the elephants, he said.

As of June, some 2,054 elephant ID tickets had been issued, he said.

However, Thanakhom declined to provide information such as the last time a ticket was issued, the number of domestic elephants registered as having died each year, or the average number of elephants registered each year.

"For [those] details, you would be better off asking each district office that has a mandate to issue the documents," he said.

System not computerised

Thanakhom said the elephant registration system was all done through paperwork and that none of the information was put into a computer system.

The information on the ID ticket of each elephant shows only the name of the elephant and its owner, address and unique physical features of each elephant, if any.

Soraida said this made a mockery of the system as all elephants shared the same physical characteristics such as the same number of toenails on their front and hind legs - 10 and eight, respectively - and a kong kan kuay, or a beautiful curve of the back bone.

The age of the elephant is not shown. While it is required by law that the death of an elephant be reported in order to cancel the ticket, there is no punishment for any owner who fails to report a death.

"It is possible that someone might put a wild elephant onto an existing ID ticket after the real owner of the ticket died. No one would notice since most features [of elephants] are the same," said Soraida.

The ID tickets of all eight elephants exported to Australia and obtained by The Nation also show that all have the same "unique" physical features.

A ticket for one beast was re-issued with a remark that the old ticket had been lost but there was no reference to the former ID of that elephant.

The tickets of two other elephants also showed doubtful information.

Dok Koon and Phak Boong were registered at Ayutthaya's Wang Noi district office on the same day. Dok Koon was registered first with the serial number 11/2000, while Phak Boong's serial number is 12/2000.

However, the number on Dok Koon's ID ticket runs after Phak Boong's; Dok Koon's being Ko Kai (GG) 059119 while Phak Boong's is Ko Kai (GG) 059112.

Where the microchip system is concerned, The Nation found that the microchip number of an elephant reported as having died in China in 2004 is now being used by another elephant with a different name.

The data available at the Elephant Institute shows that as of June, there were 3,062 microchips implanted in elephants.

And while the institute is responsible for the elephants' health, it did not have information such as the number of pregnant females.

Such loopholes have convinced Soraida and other elephant-lovers not to trust the government system. They believe that many elephants roaming in big cities and staying in elephant camps were taken from the wild.

Mattanaa Srikrachang, a biologist with the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Variety Conservation Department who specialises in elephants, said she found it hard to believe that elephant poaching was increasing because the number of wild elephants was also increasing.

However, she said it may have been true 10 years ago, as in 1995 some 15 big holes to trap elephants were found near the Thai-Burma border in Thong Pha Phum district in Kanchanaburi.

Wattana Vetchayasathit, the director of Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) Thailand, said he had no doubts about the government system, but his office and the National Parks Department had recently agreed that some additional processes should be added to tighten it up. One new process includes DNA testing to identify the origin of animals before they are exported to a foreign country.

"We trust the government system. The DNA testing is just to make the NGOs happy," Wattana explained.

Thanong of the ZPO suggested that if the country wants to establish a DNA testing system for elephants, the first step should be the collection of DNA from all domestic elephants.

The collection, he said, would form an elephant DNA database that could be used to identify the origin of any elephants to be exported in the future.

Source: The Nation - 3 August 2006

[Jai Dee]

Zoo bosses back Thai elephants transfer

Zoo bosses have brushed off concerns about the controversial transfer of eight Asian elephants from Thailand to Australia.

Critics say the importation of the eight animals contributes to the illegal poaching trade and that the exercise is little more than a money-spinning venture.

Protesters, who initially delayed the elephants' transportation to Utapao airport near Bangkok in June, said the animals should not be transported because they were born in the wild, and would therefore be banned under an international agreement from being traded.

But Guy Cooper, chief executive of Sydney's Taronga Zoo, said he was absolutely confident that the transfer was not inadvertently contributing to the poaching trade, adding that his zoo was keen to start a captive breeding program to save the elephants from extinction.

"We are looking forward to nurturing this family of elephants and ensuring that we have a safety net for this wonderful species for the rest of the century and beyond," he told Channel Nine's Sixty Minutes program.

"Unfortunately zoos are going to become the last lifeline. That's sad but that's a fact and we've got to be ready for it."

The June protest followed a long legal battle between the Australian government and animal welfare groups, which was resolved in February on the back of several conditions guaranteeing the elephants' welfare.

The animals were later transported out of Thailand under cover of night, although Mr Cooper rejected claims they were moved in a covert operation to avoid a repeat of the June protest.

Zoo bosses also have moved to ease fears the elephants would feel the squeeze in very small areas, contrary to their natural habitat.

Melbourne Zoo, which already has two elephants, will accommodate three of the Thai imports in a space just half a hectare in size, while Sydney will take the others even though they will be housed in a fifth of a hectare.

"Space is often over-rated. It's about having companions, it's about variety and if the elephants have food and water they don't necessarily go out ... for long walks," Zoos Victoria CEO Laura Mumaw told Sixty Minutes.

The elephants are now in quarantine on the Cocos Islands and will be flown to Sydney and Melbourne later this year.

Source: AAP - 13 August 2006

[Jai Dee]

Update:

Thai elephants arrive in Australia despite welfare concerns

Sydney - Four female Asian elephants touched down at Sydney airport Thursday afternoon, completing a controversial journey from Thailand marked by angry opposition from animal welfare activists.

The elephants arrived safely from the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, the Austalian terroritory where they were held in quaratine since August, a spokeswoman for Sydney's Taronga Zoo, their new home, told AFP.

"The vet has checked them and they are okay," she said, following the elephants' delivery to Australia by a Russian Ilyushin freight plane.

The Sydney zoo would soon arrange delivery of another elephant, a male, along with three more to be sent to Melbourne Zoo, the spokeswoman said.

Months of opposition, including protests and legal battles, have dogged the elephants' relocation to Australia as part of the first ever regional breeding program in Australasia.

After lengthy court action, activists won a victory in February against the Australian government, forcing them to agree to several conditions guaranteeing the welfare of the elephants.

Then in June, protesters in Bangkok blocked the elephants from reaching the airport, claiming they would suffer in the Australian zoos. This forced the elephants back to quarantine in Thailand, delaying their departure until August.

Opposition then moved to the Supreme Court of New South Wales last month, with Animal Liberation New South Wales seeking to prevent the Sydney zoo keeping the elephants under local prevention of cruelty to animals laws.

Thai and Australian authorities insist the animals were born in captivity and collected from various owners around Thailand, rather than having been captured in the wild.

Source: The Nation - 2 November 2006

[Jai Dee]

One of our female Thai elephants is driven away for its new home at Taronga Zoo after touching down at Sydney airport on Tuesday, completing a controversial journey from Thailand marked by angry opposition from animal welfare activists.

Source: The Nation - 2 November 2006

[thelegend]

Stoopid Ausie Zoos!!! Paid $50,000000 for 8 elephants. Could have got 'em for a couple of cases of RiceWhiskey half way through the Chang Fair at Surin later this month.

[Nignoy]

Stoopid Ausie Zoos!!! Paid $50,000000 for 8 elephants. Could have got 'em for a couple of cases of RiceWhiskey half way through the Chang Fair at Surin later this month.

Just watched the arrival of the 4 in Taronga, looking really good,Legend you sound like a pom suggest you change your name to pillock, if I,m wrong and you are a Septic your ignorance is excused Nignoy

[Jai Dee]

Thai elephants on display in Taronga Zoo

Play time: Asian elephants arrived at Taronga Zoo today. (Fri 03 Nov, 11:04 AM AEST)

Four thai elephants that have arrived in Sydney after being in quarantine on the Cocos Islands will be on display to the public from today.

The elephants are part of a group of eight, with the rest to arrive in the next few days.

Their arrival has been delayed by about 18 months after animal welfare groups took legal action to try to stop it.

Taronga Zoo spokesman Guy Cooper says they will be housed in a new enclosure and used in a breeding program.

"Elephants are undoubtedly a big long-term investment and if you're going to go into it you need the best facilities you can develop," he said.

Five of the eight elephants will be kept in Sydney and the other three will go to Melbourne.

Animal welfare groups say they will monitor the elephants for signs of distress.

Zoo officials say the animals are in good health.

Source: ABC News - Fri 03 November 2006

[Old Croc]

Just saw vision on the tv news of these elephants in their new home.

They were frolicking like puppies in their pool and sandpit. I don't think I've ever seen happier elephants.

[kmart]

At least they won't have to go begging around the streets of Sydney. Or illegally logging whilst cranked up on amphetemines.