A 46kg Komodo Dragon once swallowed a 41kg wild pig.
Luk Chai the Elephant gets traditional blessing
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Luk Chai receives blessings for good health and success at Taronga Zoo Photo: Rick Stevens
15 August 2009
The young Asian Elephant calf, Luk Chai, received blessings for good health and success at Taronga Zoo today.
The ceremony included a traditional Thai blessing by senior monk, Pra Ratcha Silaporn of Wat Buddharangsee in Leumear, and eight monks from Canberra and Sydney temples and an ecumenical blessing by Rev Bill Crews of the Exodus Foundation. It concluded with water being sprinkled on the young male calf by Pra Ratcha Silaporn.
Taronga Director, Guy Cooper, said: “We’re delighted for young Luk Chai to receive this blessing. After his mother, Thong Dee, and the other elephants in our herd arrived from Thailand in 2006, they received an ecumenical blessing from Rev Crews and Buddhist monks.”
“With the successful birth of Luk Chai just two and a half years later, the ceremony was very much appreciated by all of us here. Today’s event is followed by a Thai festival to celebrate the birth.”
The Thai Consul General, Khun Kiattikhun, joined Mr Cooper at the ceremony recognising the role the Thai Government has had in helping Taronga and Melbourne Zoos establish a self-sustaining breeding herd for Asian Elephants in Australia. Thong Dee’s mahout and former owners, Mr. Kowit Phengphit, and his family also travelled from Thailand to attend the ceremony.
Mr Cooper said it was traditional for the blessing and festival to occur together and it provided a unique cultural insight for Zoo visitors. The naming competition for Luk Chai was also designed to encourage Australians to exploring Thai culture.
Luk Chai’s name was announced by the NSW Premier, the Hon Nathan Rees MP, at the Zoo on Monday, 27 July. It was chosen by 10 of the 32,000 entrants in the competition. Taronga’s Elephant keepers chose Tessa and Kate Blayney’s entry as best describing the meaning which is translated as “son”.
The Blayney family from Jannali were at the ceremony for the official presentation of the of Thai Airways air travel to Thailand to visit the Lampang Elephant Conservation Centre with accommodation provided by the Tourist Authority of Thailand.
Mr Cooper said: “The young elephant is responding well to his new name as he explores his home. He has already been in the moats, the mud wallow and, keepers tell me, is a nuisance at bath time, grabbing the hose with his trunk and spraying everyone.”
Luk Chai can be seen throughout the day, exploring the paddocks, playing with his mother and aunts, Tang Mo, Porntip and Pak Boon and at bathtime in the barn. Porntip and Pak Boon are also pregnant, with their calves due in early 2010 and early 2011 respectively.
The calf’s arrival and the impending births are great successes for the program, confirming the planning and knowledge being applied by the zoos.
For more information contact Media Relations:
Ph: +61 2 9978 4606
Fax: +61 2 9978 4511
Email: tzpr@zoo.nsw.gov.au
