Perth Zoo's last remaining female elephant, Permai, is on the road, heading towards her forever home in Adelaide's Monarto Safari Park. The relocation has been years in the making, with the zoo's last male, Putra Mas, set to make the journey across the Nullarbor later this year.
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00:00A bittersweet moment. Perth Zoo's Asian elephant, Permai, closed safely inside her specially
00:11made crate. The four ton crate, with the four ton animal inside, later craned onto a truck
00:18for the almost 3,000 kilometre journey across the Nullarbor.
00:23We have a huge team with us, specialist vets, some of her carers. She's under, as I said,
00:29a CCTV camera. The crate is insulated on the roof. It has two air conditioners. We're carrying
00:35over 1,000 litres of water, and her welfare is the priority.
00:39Female elephants are herd animals, with Permai's relocation sparked by the 2022 death of beloved
00:46matriarch, Trisha.
00:48Our carers do a phenomenal job with Permai, but she needs elephant company for all the
00:53other social aspects that we can't fulfil.
00:55The open range enclosure at Manato is almost the size of the entire Perth Zoo, and a potential
01:01friend is already waiting.
01:03Permai's on her way here. As a team, we can't wait for that first initial interaction between
01:10Permai and Burma.
01:12Permai joined Perth Zoo in 1992, her departure leaving a jumbo-sized hole in many hearts.
01:19We love you. Remember that. We love you.
01:23Zookeeper Jodie Poulsen delaying her goodbye for a time, as she temporarily relocates to
01:28Adelaide while Permai settles in.
01:31I think I'm very lucky, very fortunate that I'm going to get to spend more time with her.
01:36The hard part, we'll be seeing those others having to say goodbye to her for the last time.
01:48The convoy is hoping to arrive at Manato on Wednesday morning.
01:53For more UN videos visit www.un.org