Asian elephants to jet in tonight

[Guest Glenn]

EIGHT elephants which have been stranded overseas for more than two years will finally arrive in Sydney tonight.After years of legal wrangling and repeated clashes with protesters, The Daily Telegraph has learned the Asian elephants are due to arrive on a flight from the Cocos Islands early this evening.

 

Five of the animals will be housed in Taronga Zoo's new $40 million Asian elephant rainforest enclosure while the others will be transported to Melbourne Zoo.

 

Born in Thai elephant camps, the endangered animals will enter into a breeding program in an effort to boost their numbers.

 

The jumbos have formed a tight family unit after spending such a long time in quarantine together.

 

Taronga's latest additions, including females Pak Boong, Pornthip, Tang Mo and Tong Dee, and young male Gung, were supposed to arrive in Sydney about 18 months ago.

 

But legal action taken by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, RSPCA and Humane Society International, as well as a protest in Thailand which terrified the elephants, stalled the process.

 

The elephants spent two years housed in a quarantine centre in Bangkok before flying to the Cocos Islands in August this year, where they were required to spend a further three months in quarantine.

 

Tended by dedicated Australian zoo keepers the entire time they were overseas, the elephants were due to leave their scenic Cocos Island enclosure - where they experienced the ocean for the first time - to their state-of-the-art Harbourside enclosure early this morning.

 

RSPCA Australia's Jane Speechley told The Daily Telegraph the animal welfare groups would not protest when the elephants arrived.

 

"We're not planning any protest, we don't want to cause any trouble" she said.

 

Ms Speechley called on members of the public to be vigilant for the animals to show any signs of stress.

 

Welfare groups are concerned there is not enough space for them to roam at Taronga Zoo.

 

One obvious sign the elephants do not have adequate space, stimulation and social bonds is stereotypic behaviour, which includes repetitive unnatural movements such as swaying and head bobbing, Ms Speechley said yesterday.

 

"These behaviours develop over time so we are calling on the public to be vigilant and to keep the zoos and our groups informed of what they see," she said.

 

"Together we can do everything we can to minimise suffering."

Anyone know what type of aircraft will be used? And please don't say "jumbo" jet

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

ok I wont say jumbo Glennn. lol

 

Given the size of the animals, you would think it would have to be quite big. Its not just the capacity of the plane but the height, unless they are drugged and are lying down.

 

Yea, good question. And who is the carrier?

 

 

[Guest Steve R]

Earlier in the year it was supposed to involve an Antonov 124. See below. That was before the delays so things may have changed since then.

 

THE world's biggest heavy-lifter cargo plane will fly eight Asian elephants from Thailand to their new homes in Australia. Staff at Melbourne and Taronga zoos are planning for the mammoth task of transporting the animals more than 7000km from their current quarantine site in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, in the next three weeks.

 

Three of the elephants -- Dokkoon, Num-Oi and Kulab -- are destined for Melbourne Zoo; the other five will call Taronga Zoo in Sydney home.

 

But it won't be as simple as checking the elephants in at the airport and wishing them a pleasant flight.

 

They will be loaded into specially built wooden crates and then lifted on to an Antonov An-124 plane for the journey.

 

The plane is 69.1m long and has a wingspan of 73.3m. It weighs 175 tonne when empty.

 

The elephants will be flown to quarantine on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, northwest of Perth, where they will housed for 90 days before being moved to the mainland.

 

Melbourne Zoo spokeswoman Judith Henke said the elephants had been in training for the move. "The flight will take about four to five hours," she said.

[Guest Glenn]

Ok, so for those who have access to ACARS should be able to see if there is an Antonov due in tonight at Sydney or some other large transporter.

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

An IL-76 has landed at just before 11am (as reported). I also heard on YSSY ATC a comment referring to 'Operation Jumbo'.

 

I think we can put 2 and 2 together.

 

I believe this aircraft may depart tomorrow (Fri) morning.

 

It will be back at YSSY at 9am Sunday 5th Nov (scheduled). I plan to get a pic.

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Here ya go Glenn...

 

 

Jano GibsonNovember 2, 2006 - 10:54AM

Eight Asian elephants destined for zoos in Sydney and Melbourne have touched down in Australia.

 

They arrived by plane from the Cocos Islands, 2,750km north-west of Perth in the Indian Ocean, this morning.

 

Eight police cars are on hand along with police motorcycle outriders to escort the large consigment.

 

An officer at the airport said: "You won't be able to see them [the elephants], but you'll probably smell them."

 

The elephants began their controversial journey from Thailand in June and have been held in quarantine on the Cocos, where they passed crucial quarantine checks on October 31.

 

Four female elephants and one male will be housed at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, while the remaining three elephants will go to Melbourne Zoo.

 

The cost of bringing the elephants to Australia has been estimated at more than $50 million, including the cost of building new enclosures in Sydney and Melbourne.

 

Before they left Thailand, animal activists demonstrated and delayed their departure on the grounds that the animals should be rehabilitated in the native land not taken to a foreign zoo.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/you ... 58509.html

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

A sort time ago (1:30pm), 10 Police cars and 4 Police bikes were seen escorting the 'phants to Taronga through Mosman.

 

An elephant could do a lot of damange to a motor bike eh? :shock:

 

 

[Guest Steve R]

A sort time ago (1:30pm), 10 Police cars and 4 Police bikes were seen escorting the 'phants to Taronga through Mosman.

Is that the main 'trunk' road through Mosman Chainy?

 

:roll:

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Oh Steve!!

 

Tusk tusk, fancy asking that!