Burma’s last ride: Auckland’s only elephant arrives safely at new home in Australia

Burma in her new forever home at Zoos South Australia’s (ZSA) Monarto Safari Park, November 13. Photo / Auckland Zoo

Auckland’s only elephant, Burma, has arrived safely in her new forever home in Adelaide after a “long and complicated” transtasman journey.

Forty-two-year-old Burma left Auckland Zoo on Tuesday morning and had a police escort to the airport.

Accompanied by two of Auckland Zoo’s senior elephant keepers and its veterinary manager, Burma is the first of five elephants due to arrive at South Australia’s Monarto Safari Park over the coming year. The park has developed a new 12ha elephant habitat.

Burma settles into her new forever home at Zoos South Australia’s Monarto Safari Park on Wednesday. Photo / Auckland Zoo

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Auckland Zoo director Kevin Buley said its highest priority has always been to do the right thing for Burma and get her in a situation where she can be part of a larger elephant herd.

“Her arrival in Australia is a huge step in that direction.”

Buley said the transition was not easy.

“It’s been a long and complicated journey already to get to this point, with the construction of the new habitat at Monarto Safari Park and all the challenges of moving an animal as large as Burma between two countries,” he said.

Burma the elephant leaves Auckland Zoo at the start of her journey to a new home on Tuesday, November 12. Photo / Auckland Zoo

Buley said while zoo staff are upset to see her go, they know it’s the right call for Burma.

“It’s been a properly bittersweet moment for us all ... it is with the knowledge that she is going to an amazing new home in Australia where she will be cared for and loved as much as she was in New Zealand.”

Veterinary manager Dr James Chatterton, who accompanied Burma throughout her travel, said she was doing well following her travels.

“Burma coped exceptionally well throughout her entire road and aircraft journey yesterday. For an elephant travelling for the first time in 34 years, it couldn’t have gone better,” Chatterton said.

He said while she is tired, she is eating, drinking, peeing and pooing – all good signs that she is doing okay.

Auckland's last remaining elephant, Burma, gets accustomed to her new home in Adelaide. Photo / Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo team leader of elephants, Andrew Coers, has been part of Burma’s life for 25 years. Coers and the team will stay on with her for as long as required to fully settle her in, while integrating her with her new elephant family.

Buley said Burma will leave a legacy, after connecting with millions of visitors over the 34 years Auckland Zoo was her home.

“We know that she is going to have that same special impact on the wider community in South Australia, and, although she is now over 3000km away, we will always have an attachment to her, and will continue to follow her story closely,” said Buley.

It marks the end of Burma’s 34 years as an Aucklander. She was born in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in 1982 and spent her early years at a logging camp before coming to Auckland in 1990, when she was 8.

Yesterday was not Burma’s first time out of the zoo’s walls. She dropped a large log on her enclosure’s electric fence, disabling it, and escaped, spending time in Western Springs Park and holding up motorists on Great North Rd in January 2004.

In 2020, Auckland Zoo announced its decision to end its elephant programme and move its two remaining elephants – Burma and Anjalee – to new homes with social, multi-elephant herds. Anjalee moved to Australia in 2022, leaving Burma alone here in limbo.

Asian elephants are sociable and typically form groups of six or seven related females that are led by the oldest female, the matriarch, according to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Zoo staff said Burma was expected to benefit greatly from being a part of her new herd.

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.

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