Jane Healy, Auckland Zoo
Auckland Zoo’s elephant team and their volunteers’ creation of a mouth-wateringly good birthday enrichment for Burma, who turns 42 on Sunday, has gone down a treat.
The winning recipe (an elephant style NZ lamington-inspired labour of love estimated to weigh around 50kg!): lots of lucerne, watermelon, pineapple, melon, carrot, water, herbal tea, coconut shavings (for that lamington-look), one mega-sized container, layering skills, and two weeks’ freezing time.
While sweet fruits aren’t normally part of herbivore Asian elephant Burma’s daily diet, birthdays are one of those exceptions, with this one – her 34th and last birthday here at Auckland Zoo ahead of her relocation to Monarto Safari Park next month, being extra special.
“Burma loves her food so we knew we’d be onto a winner, and she deserves it,” says elephant keeper Odin, who has been a part of Burma’s life for 15 years and will be among elephant team members travelling and staying on with Burma to settle her into her new home.
“Hearing her rumbling and squeaking and seeing her ears flapping in response - that’s Burma super excited, and her energetic, playful and still agile side really coming out, which is so great to see in an older elephant. As well as being a delicious treat at this time of year, frozen enrichments like this require physical effort and dexterity to deconstruct to eat – so she’s also really got to work for her reward.”
A regular two-hour physiotherapy and massage session as well as a warm bath (hosing down) followed Burma’s food treat yesterday.
“Burma absolutely loves these sessions that are excellent for loosening her muscles and helping with joint movement. Many people can probably relate to feeling stiffer in their joints as they age. As an older elephant, this is the case for Burma too,” explains Odin.
“She really knows how to communicate which areas she wants us to work as well and will move to present different body parts – like her hips or shoulders. It’s very clear to us that she can really feel the benefit and knows it’s good for her! This warming weather is also really good for her.”
The team is busy continuing to prepare Burma for her November move, with ongoing crate training sessions at a range of different times and durations to get her feeling comfortable moving in and out of her crate and feeling safe and at ease inside it.
Our Zoo team are also continuing to work closely with our Monarto Safari Park colleagues to prepare for Burma’s arrival. Great progress is being made on their expansive 12ha elephant habitat that over the coming year will welcome four other Asian elephants (from two other Australian zoos) who will become Burma’s elephant family.
If you’re visiting us this weekend, be sure to stop by Elephant Clearing – but please just be aware, as our elephant keepers do a range of activities and sessions with her (sometimes in the elephant barn), there may be times when Burma is not in her outside habitat.
If you and your whānau are keen to see Burma before she moves before mid-November, between now and early November is your best time!
