Elephant Anjalee is on her way! Introducing Burma's new elephant companion

Auckland Zoo is delighted to announce that an eight-year-old Asian elephant named Anjalee has begun her journey to join the Zoo's 32-year-old female elephant Burma.

Anjalee is the first of two elephants that will be coming to Auckland Zoo from Sri Lanka's Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage; at 7 o'clock (NZT) she boarded an Emirates freighter plane in Colombo.

Following a 12-hour flight to Auckland Airport, she will continue the second leg of her journey on a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) C-130 Hercules to Niue, where she will be quarantined for a required 90-day period before coming to Auckland Zoo.

“It is with great excitement that we're able to start telling everyone about Anjalee,” says Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken. “She is a lovely elephant and we believe will be a great companion for Burma. Everyone involved, especially our elephant team, have all worked tirelessly to make this happen. It's been an enormously complex undertaking but we all believe so strongly that we can give Anjalee a great home, Burma a companion and continue to support important elephant conservation efforts in the wild.”

Auckland Zoo is working in partnership with Sri Lanka's Department of National Zoological Gardens, who manage Pinnawala's currently overcrowded elephant orphanage. Zoo staff have been working in cooperation with Pinnawala staff for the past six months to begin transitioning Anjalee to the Zoo's world-renowned elephant programme.

Sir Don McKinnon, Chairman of Regional Facilities Auckland (which manages Auckland Zoo on behalf of Auckland Council), said he is delighted the elephant is finally on her way.

“We have worked closely with the Sri Lankan, Niue and New Zealand governments to facilitate this and I am grateful for the support we have received along the way. Anjalee will have a wonderful life at Auckland Zoo where she will be loved, protected and stimulated, as well as having the companionship of our revered matriarch Burma. I am proud of the fact the Zoo's elephant programme is considered one of the world's best,” Sir Don said.

Niue Premier, Toke Talagi, says the people of Niue are looking forward with great excitement to welcoming Anjalee to the island. Her presence is expected to boost Niue's growing tourism sector.

“Niue has worked closely with Auckland Zoo on this project, which is providing employment as well as educational opportunities. Our school children will be able to engage with Anjalee's keepers, and watch her train and exercise from a special viewing platform,” says Premier Talagi.

Children outside Niue will also be able to engage with Anjalee's keepers, as Auckland Zoo will be posting regular updates online.

“We want to bring everyone along with us on this incredible journey to bring Anjalee to Auckland,” says director Jonathan Wilcken. “Sometimes people can feel removed from species and conservation issues that are not in their own backyard. However, species like elephants are just as much in need of their help. Elephants are extraordinarily powerful ambassadors for wildlife and the natural world, one of the many reasons we believe in the importance of ensuring elephants remain at Auckland Zoo.

“Auckland Zoo contributes over $1 million a year to help protect and conserve wildlife, and we are very grateful and proud to say that a large percentage of this conservation funding comes directly from each and every one of our visitors as part of their admission.”

Acknowledgements
Auckland Zoo wishes to sincerely thank Sri Lanka and the Department of National Zoological Gardens, Sri Lanka High Commission, Government of Niue, Auckland Airport, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand High Commission Delhi, New Zealand High Commission Niue, the respective Honorary Consuls of Sri Lanka and New Zealand, Department of Conservation, Auckland Council and Regional Facilities Auckland.

A special thank you also goes to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for flying Anjalee to Niue and later to Auckland, as part of their Pacific training and engagement.

Notes for the editor
 Anjalee is the first of two elephants coming to Auckland Zoo from Sri Lanka's Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
 A second elephant will be identified for transfer within a couple of years
 Anjalee flies from Colombo to Auckland International Airport on an Emirates 777 freighter plane; then she will be transferred to a NZDF C-130 Hercules and flown to Niue
 The C-130 Hercules is the only aircraft in New Zealand capable of conducting this task due to the size of Anjalee and her container and the unique ability of the C-130 to unload cargo without significant ground support
 Tasks of this type present unique considerations that have to be overcome which provide valuable training for NZDF personnel and meet part of their commitment to ongoing training flights and engagement in the Pacific region
 This is not the first time the C-130 has been used to transport large animals, recently they have been assisting Napier Marineland transfer some of its Seals and Sea Lions, and they also transported the Crocodiles at Butterfly Creek from Darwin
 It is required by The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) that any Asian elephant coming to New Zealand spend a 90-day quarantine period in a third country - in this case Niue
 Once Anjalee has settled in, the people of Niue and visitors to Niue will, at set times be able to view Anjalee from a public viewing platform. Auckland Zoo elephant keepers will give public encounters about Anjalee, the Zoo's elephant programme and our active role in elephant conservation in Sri Lanka
 Auckland Zoo only accepts elephants that have no prospect for release to the wild
 Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is overcrowded, having been built to house 30 elephants but currently housing over 75
 When Sri Lanka heard that Burma was without companions, due to the loss of elephant Kashin, their representative approached the zoo to see how they could help.
 Anjalee will come to Auckland Zoo once she has completed her 90-day quarantine period in Niue. Public are likely to see her once she has settled in to her new surroundings. It is difficult to give a time-frame on this, but keep an eye on Auckland Zoo's website and social media for regular updates
 This project was approved back in 2011 by Auckland Council's Strategy & Finance Committee. The $3.2m project allocation comes at zero cost to ratepayers
 Asian elephants are endangered; their wild habitat is diminishing and wild elephant populations are increasingly coming into conflict with people with disastrous results
Additional attachments include:
 Anjalee and Burma profiles
 Anjalee photo
 Burma photo

ENDS
For further information, images and interview requests please contact:
Kate Orgias, Auckland Zoo Communications Coordinator:
Ph 09 360 4872 or 027 446 5631

ABOUT AUCKLAND ZOO
Auckland Zoo is operated by Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), a council-controlled organisation of Auckland Council. It is home to the largest collection of native and exotic wildlife species in New Zealand (more than 1000 animals and 130 species) and attracts more than 700,000 visitors annually. At the heart of all Auckland Zoo's work and activities is its mission: "to bring people together to build a future for wildlife”. A key conservation project is the creation of a unique new wildlife reserve on Rotoroa Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf with the Rotoroa Island Trust