The Elephants have Moved in – it is Now the Zoo Visitors’ Turn

During the period 11-13 March 2008 the Zoo’s elephants moved from the old Elephant House into the new house designed by Foster and Partners. The 49-year-old male elephant Chieng Mai was the first elephant to move into the new surroundings. He was followed by the female elephants Inda, Surin, Kungrao and Ida with her calf Gandhi. The last to be moved was the young bull Tonsak. The moving of the seven elephants is the so far the most comprehensive internal elephant move within any European zoo.

The elephants immediately adapted to their new surroundings and the move went surprisingly smooth. After a few days of introduction harmony was re-established within the elephant herd led by the matriarch Inda.

Moving elephants is not an easy task, and as seen in other zoos it has often taken elephants much longer to settle in new surroundings. Some individuals have even been traumatised.

After spending a couple of weeks in the stables the elephants were introduced to their outdoor enclosure. Here the herd behaved extremely well. Not only did they immediately take the land areas into use – all the elephants rushed into the basin and swam as if they had been doing it all their life. Even Inda, the old matriarch, former circus elephant without much knowledge of water, did not hesitate to join in the fun.

As part of the Elephant House project a new enclosure for the red panda will be established. However, this project will only be completed during the summer.