After a 40-hour, 2700km journey across the Nullarbor, 35-year-old Permai and her dedicated team of veterinarians and keeping staff arrived mid-morning yesterday, with Permai now resting and recuperating in the elephant barn.

Perth Zoo Acting Director Life Sciences, John Lemon, said the epic trip went well, with plenty of peanut butter sandwiches and watermelon packed in her trunk to keep Permai content.

“It is certainly a relief to see Permai take her first steps into her new home at Monarto Safari Park,” he said.

“It was a long journey along the Nullarbor, but she was made as comfortable as possible with plenty of her favourite treats.

“Understandably she was very tired when she arrived, and would have needed a good sleep in her beautiful new barn. 

“Her welfare has always been our absolute priority and I am exceptionally proud of the entire team for getting her to her forever home safely. 

“Now, we can't wait to see her start this new chapter and hopefully soon develop a bond with Burma.”

Over the next few days, Permai will settle into her new habitat with the support and expert care of her keepers from Perth Zoo and the elephant team at Monarto Safari Park.

The elephant barn provides Permai with a safe and secure space to recover from her journey and adapt to the new sights, sounds, and smells of the Mallee Plains.

Monarto Safari Park Manager of Elephants, Andrew Coers, said the team will then be guided by Permai herself as to when she feels comfortable to explore the wider habitat, and meet her new herd-member, Burma.

“We’re all very hopeful that Permai and Burma will forge a strong friendship as the two founding members of the new Monarto Safari Park herd,” he said.

“We will closely monitor both of the girl’s behaviour over the next period to gauge not only how Permai is adjusting to her new home, but also if the pair are ready interact with each other.

“The team are on elephant time! So this could take just a few days, but could also take a few weeks. We will be looking for specific actions and body language that signal they are interested and ready to make a new friend.

“Excitingly, they did show interest in interacting late yesterday afternoon. Burma was a little shy at first but they came together to say hello through mesh contact. ”

During their first interaction, both elephants displayed curiosity and gentle behaviours towards each other, which is a great first step towards further interactions in the future.

Permai is the second elephant to arrive at Monarto Safari Park’s expansive 12 hectare elephant habitat. She joins 42-year-old, Burma, who arrived from Auckland Zoo in November, 2024.

Over the coming year, the two females will be joined by Pak Boon and Tang Mo from Taronga Zoo Sydney, and male Putra Mas from Perth Zoo to form a founding herd.

Director of Monarto Safari Park, Peter Clark, said Permai’s arrival marks the next step in Zoos SA’s elephant journey.

“It takes more than one elephant to form a herd; so we are so excited for Permai to join Burma here at Monarto Safari Park,” he said.

“Bringing elephants to South Australia has been a jumbo journey and one that we’ve seen spark such an outpouring of love and support from the community.

“As an endangered species with numbers that are declining in the wild, we hope this support continues and ignites a passion for the conservation of this special species.

“We are very thankful to everyone who made Permai’s journey a success and have helped us reach this significant milestone for us at Monarto Safari Park.”

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

Perth Zoo Memberships are also valid at Monarto Safari Park, it’s a jumbo perk, get yours today and visit Permai for free at her forever home. Become a member!