The end of the Asian Elephant era: Taronga Zoo Sydney’s Asian Elephants have trunked out. Asian Elephants Tang Mo and Pak Boon have completed their mammoth move, arriving at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia on Wednesday 30 April 2025. Following the elephants’ move, works has commenced for a new mixed species habitat for a Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Water Buffalo.

In April 2024 and after more than a century of history, Taronga announced plans for the departure of Asian Elephants from Taronga Zoo Sydney. This decision was made with best animal welfare practices in mind, as the rare opportunity presented to form a new social herd with three other elephants from Auckland Zoo and Perth Zoo at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia.

While these magnificent animals will certainly be missed in Sydney, we’re so pleased that their move to Monarto Safari Park allows them to join a bigger social herd.

Taronga Conservation Society Australia CEO Cam Kerr AO said:

"Under the dedicated care of our Taronga team, Tang Mo and Pak Boon have safely arrived at their new home at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia. This marks an exciting new chapter for them — one where they’ll join a larger, matriarchal-led herd and have the opportunity to form new social bonds.

Tang Mo and Pak Boon have been deeply loved members of our Taronga community, and while we will miss them dearly, this move reflects the strength of collaboration within the zoo community that spans across Australasia.

Taronga’s journey with elephants continues, with a thriving, multi-generational herd of seven elephants at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, where we remain a key part of the regional breeding program.

I want to sincerely thank every member of the Taronga community — from keepers and vets to nutrition, trades, and support teams — for their years of unwavering care. It is because of their commitment that milestones like this are possible."

As part of a Great Migration, the elephants’ departure makes way for a new, multi-species habitat at Taronga Zoo featuring ‘Hari’, a young Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros who will move from Taronga Western Plains Zoo, joining several Water Buffalo.

Greater One-horned Rhinoceros are one of the largest species of rhino and often referred to as “real life unicorns” due to their distinctive solo horn which distinguishes them from other Rhinoceros species.

Hari is one of just three Greater One-Horned Rhinos in Australia, all of whom currently reside at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Now weighing 1,500 kg, Hari has reached the age where he would naturally leave his mother, Amala, to go out on his own.

With a love for water and a passion for mud wallowing, Hari is sure to make a splash at Taronga Zoo Sydney. More importantly, he will serve as a vital ambassador for his species, which is classified as vulnerable, with only around 4000 remaining in the wild today.

Stay tuned as we prepare to welcome Hari and his herd to their new home in Sydney.

Fun facts

• With thick skin folds like armour, the Greater One-Horned Rhino is the largest of the Asian rhino species weighing between 1800 - 2,700kg.
• They are herbivores, mainly eating grasses, fruits, leaves, and aquatic plants.
• They are semi-aquatic and thrive in floodplain grasslands, wetlands, and forests.
• Greater one-horned rhinos make different sounds to communicate including snorts, honks, and roars.
• They are very good swimmers and can even dive and feed underwater.

Elephants have been part of the Taronga Zoo Sydney experience for more than a century, ever since Jessie the Asian Elephant made an iconic journey through the streets of Sydney from Moore Park to Mosman in 1916.

Taronga’s journey with elephants is far from over and we will continue our work to conserve this Asian Elephants in the wild - from Thailand to Sumatra, and continue to play an important role in the regional breeding program with seven elephants in the thriving, multi-generational herd at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo – with a new arrival due at the end of 2025.