Jumbo cargo arrives at last; [THE on-again, off-again saga over the importation of eight Asian elephants has come to an end, with four of the animals arriving in Sydney yesterday]: [1 All-round Country Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 03 Nov 2006: 3.
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THE on-again, off-again saga over the importation of eight Asian elephants has come to an end, with four of the animals arriving in Sydney yesterday.
Glenys Oogjes, from Animals Australia, said claims they were being imported for a breeding program was a ruse as elephants did not breed well in captivity.
"If the zoos genuinely cared about the elephants they would have been taken to the free-range zoos at Dubbo in NSW or Werribee in Victoria."
THE on-again, off-again saga over the importation of eight Asian elephants has come to an end, with four of the animals arriving in Sydney yesterday.
The four females will be on display at the city's Taronga Zoo from today, with a male to join them over the weekend and three other females heading to Melbourne Zoo.
Animal welfare groups have been vociferous in their opposition, attempting legal action to stop their importation from Thailand.
After the first attempt to export them was defeated by protesters, the animals left Thailand in June and have been held since in quarantine on the Cocos Islands, 2750km northwest of Perth.
After a 14-hour flight on a Russian Illyushin airfreighter, the four elephants that arrived at Sydney airport yesterday were given five-star treatment.
There was heavy security at the airport and a police escort as they were transported in a convoy along some of Sydney's busiest roads.
The entire operation, including the creation of a Wild Asia exhibit, designed to resemble an Asian rainforest, has cost the zoo more than $25 million.
Delays because of protests and legal action added about $2.5million to the cost.
Taronga Zoo director Guy Cooper said a breeding program was vital as the wild population had collapsed due to habitat loss and poaching.
"This is a very exciting day for us, and is tremendously significant for our conservation breeding program," he said.
He said the females -- ranging in age from 14 years for the matriarch Pornthip to six years for Tang Mo and Tong Dee -- had bonded "beautifully".
But critics including the RSPCA condemned it as a sad day, saying putting the elephants in enclosures was like sentencing a person to living in a hotel room for the rest of their life.
Glenys Oogjes, from Animals Australia, said claims they were being imported for a breeding program was a ruse as elephants did not breed well in captivity.
"It is very unlikely that they will breed," she said.
"If the zoos genuinely cared about the elephants they would have been taken to the free-range zoos at Dubbo in NSW or Werribee in Victoria."
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