Perth Zoo keepers to move with elephants Putra Mas and Permai to South Australia

For more than 10 years, Jody Polson has been responsible for one of Perth Zoo’s most loved attractions — its elephants. Now, as she prepares its biggest residents for an interstate move, emotions are high. Along with colleagues Steve Edmunds and Clair Holland, Ms Polson has a close and unique bond with the elephants — something seen when beloved Tricia passed away in 2022, age 65, prompting sorrow across the State. Remaining elephants Putra Mas and Permai will move to South Australia in the next year, with their keepers following for a time. “Permai, she lost her best friend in Tricia,” Ms Polson said before stopping for an emotional moment. “And we just don’t want her to feel like she is losing her whole family. “They grieve, which we experienced a lot with her when Trisha passed. It’s such a unique thing that we got to experience seeing that, because it doesn’t happen that often when you’re working with these animals.” Tricia’s death kickstarted relocation plans from the cramped habitat in Perth to the expansive Monarto Safari Park, 50km south-east of Adelaide, where they will share their lives with three other female Asian elephants. Two — Tang Mo and Pak Boon — are moving from Taronga Zoo in Sydney and another is coming from across the ditch — Auckland Zoo’s Burma. “Zoos would normally hand an animal over, and that’s about it,” Ms Polson said. “Having us there to support them through that, I think, is what is really important — just to give them that comfort and that love and that they don’t feel like we’ve just left them. “The bond we have is immeasurable. It’s very one-of-a-kind and we look forward to her creating these new bonds with elephants. “We appreciate how important it is for us and for her, you know, we don’t necessarily want to see them go, but we know that this is exactly what they need, and it’s so important for them, and they are what matter.” Both born in 1989 in the wild, Permai and Putra Mas arrived at Perth Zoo in 1992, along with Teduh, and joined beloved Tricia. After battling muscular skeletal weakness, Teduh died in 2007, aged 17. In 2018, Perth Zoo announced it would move both Permai and Putra Mas to a bigger zoo after the death of Tricia. As revealed by The West Australian in May, the move had to be delayed by up to 12 months due to Putra Mas’ hormonal period and hot weather. Ms Polson, Mr Edmunds and Ms Holland are now set to move with the elephants by mid-to-late 2025 to allow the pair to settle in, and planning is well under way for the massive shift. Already specialised crates are being built to transport the pair across the Nullarbor and both elephants are getting used to conditions for the journey. But the looming departure is bittersweet for Perth, with two of the city’s beloved zoo occupants having plenty of fans. Ms Polson admitted there had been mixed emotions about the move. “We can definitely thank Tricia for bringing everyone to the elephants and loving them,” she said. “People are so drawn to how intelligent they are and what they’re capable of doing, and we’re still so lucky that we get to be in with Permai. “People see that as well, and they really see that bond that we get to make, and that we’re a part of her herd.” While the bond with keepers was strong, Polson said the connection between elephants was more important, with the female of the pair seeking friendship with other “pachyderm pals”. “They need each other, which is why it’s so important for Permai to be heading over there and getting to meet new elephants, because that’s what she really needs . . . she definitely needs some friends of her own,” she said. “(Since Tricia’s death) Permai did get quite a bit braver. She still absolutely loves meeting new people. “She’s very smart, she’s very cheeky at times. She has you going, like, it’s like an emotional roller coaster with her some days, but in a good way.” Putra Mas — the bull — would benefit from more space, she said, and the ability to meet younger female elephants. Once the pair leave, Perth Zoo will use the space to create a much bigger habitat for the African savannah exhibit, giving zebras and giraffes more room to move. With less than a year left, Ms Polson wants Perth residents to flock to the zoo and take in Permai and Putra Mas’ presence. “Spend some time just watching them and enjoy the moments that we’ve got left with them, and know that the move forward is the most important thing for these elephants and that we’re all here to support that and cheer them forward,” she said. But there’s one thing she doesn’t want to think about — the day she eventually says goodbye herself. “You never want to leave them, but I’m ready for the next chapter in my life, and I think for them, they need a bit of a fresh start - a new place, new keepers to look after them, new elephants,” she said. “It’s going to be sad for all of us when we have to journey back home, but at least they’re just next door.”