2020-08-14 - Dubbo, Australia. Hannah Moore NCA NewsWire
The owners of circus elephant Arna, who crushed her handler to death in December 2007, have told a parliamentary inquiry they regret retiring her to a zoo after the incident. Arna crushed her handler Ray Williams, 57, to death at Yamba on the state’s north coast on December 27, 2007. Stardust Circus, the last remaining exotic animal circus in Australia, made the “heartbreaking” decision to retire both her and their other elephant Gigi to Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo the next day.
2016-11-26 - Dubbo, Australia.
Belle, a self-proclaimed animal enthusiast, said she saw how much happiness the bub brought Dubbo and that was her inspiration. It’s only fitting she suggested ‘Sabai’ which means happy in Thai language. Her pitch was the overwhelming favourite. “I have a passion for animals and I really like them. I thought it was cool to name a new baby animal that’s going to be at the zoo for a long time,†Belle said.
2010-10-04 - Dubbo, NSW, Australia.
Australia´s oldest living African elephant has died, with both staff and animals at Taronga Western Plains Zoo now in mourning. Yum Yum was also the matriarch and longest serving resident of the park, in Dubbo, central NSW. She was put down after suffering a digestive-related illness, aged about 41.
2008-04-24 - Dubbo, Australia.
WITH its brilliant colours and distinctive shape, it could be the design of a funky new T-shirt or a quirky company logo. Instead, the technicolor image was generated by infra-red thermography, which is being used to diagnose health problems in elderly elephants at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. See what it's like from an elephant's point of view here. Senior vet Benn Bryannt described the non-invasive technology as "brilliant" and said it would enable zoo staff to build a clear picture of...
2008-03-18 - Dubbo, Australia. Justin Huntsdale
If you opened your eyes and you were standing on a dirt track, surrounded by waist-high dead grass, some trees and two African elephants, where would you say you are? The sun isn’t rising over the Serengeti – it’s in Dubbo, New South Wales. This is a side of the Taronga Western Plains Zoo (TWPZ) you probably won’t see. It’s 7am, the front gates are still closed, and African elephants Yum Yum and Cuddles are on their morning walk to stretch their legs and graze. “I’d stay out here a...
2008-02-21 - Dubbo, Australia.
A FORMER circus elephant that killed her handler has found a permanent home at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. After undergoing health and behavioural assessments at the Dubbo zoo, Arna, who crushed her handler, 57-year-old Ray Williams, in December last year, and her companion Gigi will stay there together permanently. Taronga Conservation Society Australia Director Guy Cooper said it was important to make sure the ex-circus elephants were both healthy before a decision was made about where they wo...
2008-01-16 - Dubbo, Australia. KEELY BELL
Arna, the so-called ‘killer’ elephant, yesterday was “cool, calm and collected” as she and her companion Gigi made their debut at Western Plains Zoo. Senior elephant keeper Roger Brogan said the new arrivals were very relaxed despite a tearful farewell with their circus handlers on Monday. “Arna is cool, calm and collected. She and Gigi are busy getting to know their surroundings,” he said. Arna and Gigi arrived early Monday morning after a 14-hour drive from the north coast.
2008-01-14 - Dubbo, Australia.
Two circus elephants have arrived at their temporary new home at Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo in far western New South Wales, after one of them crushed its 54-year-old handler on Boxing Day. The Stardust Circus handler was tending to the two asian elephants, Arna and Gigi, at the Yamba Showground on the NSW North Coast when he was killed. The circus donated the elephants to the zoo after the tragedy. Western Plains Zoo's senior elephant keeper, Roger Brogan, says the animals are settling into thei...
2007-06-11 - Dubbo, Australia.
Keepers at Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo, in western New South Wales, are mourning the death of a second animal in a week. Cheri, a 35-year-old african elephant, died from gut-related problems on Saturday night. She was one of only three african elephants in Australia and has been at the zoo since it first opened 30 years ago. A female greater one-horned rhinoceros which was about to be moved to Dubbo for a breeding program died at Sydney's Taronga Zoo last Monday.
2006-12-28 - Dubbo, Australia.
Australasias oldest male asian elephant has died at a zoo in central-western New South Wales. The one-tusked elephant affectionately known as Heman was found dead by his keepers at Dubbos Western Plains Zoo this morning. Heman moved from Sydneys Taronga Zoo in 2005 to a custom built elephant exhibit at the Western Plains Zoo with his long term partner, Burma. Believed to be just over 50, Heman came to Australia from Singapore in the 1960s.
2006-11-02 - Dubbo, Australia. LYNTON GRACE, Milton - Ulladulla news and Dubbo Daily Liberal
The discovery that elephants can recognise their own reflection comes as no surprised to Western Plains Zoo's (WPZ) keeper Linda Gardiner. Ms Gardiner said WPZ's elephants - 'Yum Yum', ‘Cherry' and ‘Cuddles' - had performed similar tasks. "Often they will pick up their hay and eat it beside the water," she said. "They are likely to encounter their own reflection in water quite often." Working with elephants revealed another level of their perception every day, she said.
2025-03-27 - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
In a united effort to prevent forest fires, a team of three elephants joined over 20 locals in constructing firebreaks in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district on Wednesday. The initiative, led by Phra Kh...
2025-03-27 - Cholamunda, India.
A Wild tusker, known as Kasera Komban, was found dead in abandoned septic tank in Kerala Malappuram. The tusker used to be affectionately called "Kasera Komban" due to its remarkably long tusks, which...
2025-03-18 - Wichita, United States.
The Sedgwick County Zoo announced Monday that 29-year-old African elephant Simunye delivered a stillborn calf following a healthy, full-term pregnancy. This would have marked the first elephant born a...
2025-03-08 - Guwahati, India.
A female elephant calf took birth in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park. The newborn, named Gauri, is the offspring of an elephant named Phulmai, who resides within the protected area of Kaziranga.
2025-03-05 - Trichy, India.
A 60-year-old female elephant named Jaini, who was being cared for at the MR Palayam Government Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Reserve Forest under the Trichy Forest Division, has passed away. The ...
2025-02-07 - Amboseli, Kenya.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Paolo, one of Amboseli’s most famous and cherished elephants. At 46 years old, Paolo’s death marks the loss of a true giant, not only in size but ...
