Chimpanzees are social animals that live in communities of 5-50 chimps.
Porntip - 'Gift From Heaven'
Year : 1992 Sex : Female
Photo: Jeff Darmanin
Porntip originally came from an elephant camp on the outskirts of Pattaya in southern Thailand. She was used to give rides to tourists prior to arriving in Taronga Zoo's breeding program.
She is the matriarch of our group and the other elephants look to Porntip for leadership and guidance. She has a laidback and easygoing personality and has very strong maternal instincts.
Porntip gets on very well with all the elephants and keepers alike. She enjoys a lot of attention and can get quite jealous of other elephants getting attention if she is not included.
On the 10th March 2010 after a long and protracted labour that lasted over a week, Porntip gave birth to her first calf, a young male named Pathi Harn.
Porntip is the tallest elephant in the herd. She has a high arched back, a pink trunk, large ears with some pink on the edges, and round pink pigment patches on her cheeks. She has a significant amount of hair on the top of her head and has no tushes (female tusks).
A story about Porntip
Photo: Jeff Darmanin
When Porntip, arrived at the quarantine facility in Sai Yok - Thailand, she was 12 and a half years old. She arrived late in the afternoon after an all day drive from her camp in Pattaya.
This journey was the beginning of her new life. Prior to her arrival she had been a ride elephant for tourists and had spent almost her entire life on a chain.
The following morning after arriving within the confines of the quarantine yard her leg chain was removed for the very first time. This was her first chance to meet and socialise with the other elephants in our program that had already arrived at the centre. Once keepers had left the area Porntip stood very still next to her chain holding it in her trunk. Keepers watched her for 10 minutes until venturing back in to prompt her to relax and play. When they walked up to her she handed them the chain and presented her front left leg so they could chain her. She was obviously convinced that someone had forgotten to put it back on and had not moved. The keepers instead walked her out to see the rest of the group and, after being a bit confused for the first few days with all this socialising and play time, she finally settled into the new regime.
Porntip has come a long way since and has settled in to being an amazingly affectionate elephant. Her early tentative behaviour is only one example of many that all our elephants have overcome as they leave their chequered pasts behind and continue to grow into the elephants you can see at Taronga Zoo today.
Since her arrival in Sydney Porntip has led a very different life. She is now the leader & matriarch of a strong family unit that daily utilise swimming pools, waterfalls, mud wallows, sleeping mounds and everything the group needs to be happy young elephants.
Importantly, they are now all starting to participate in the breeding program that aims to protect the genetic health of their species for the future.
