THE elephant family at Taronga Western Plains Zoo is growing.
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Sydney's Taronga Zoo resident Asian elephant mothers Porntip and Thong Dee, along with their calves Pathi Harn and Luk Chai will be calling Dubbo their new home as early as December this year.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo general manager Matthew Fuller said Asian elephants have become a priority within the Taronga Conservation Society, as their liability as an endangered species increases.
"These four elephants were originally from Thailand, before they were moved to Sydney," Mr Fuller said.
"This is a really exciting time for Taronga Western Plains Zoo as we take up our role in the regional conservation and breeding program for Asian elephants."
Mr Fuller said there are extensive plans to revamp the enclosure at the zoo before the four elephants can make their debut in Dubbo.
"We're very pleased with the progress of construction with fencing for two new paddocks almost complete," Mr Fuller said.
"The new state-of-the-art barn is also well underway."
Mr Fuller said there is extensive support from the zoo keepers at both Sydney and Dubbo to make sure the dynamics in the herd were steady before making the transition.
"Our zoo keepers spend countless hours of their days with these animals," Mr Fuller said.
"They know the animals' personalities incredibly intimately."
"We need to make sure everything is fine before we can move the four from Sydney," he said.
Mr Fuller said he expects the public interest in the relocation to be high.
"We absolutely know that elephants are a favourite," he said.
"People have been following their development for a while, each elephant has a different personality."
"The relocation will be a significant event not only for the Asian elephants, but also for the active members of the zoo community."
