Auckland City Council

Media release

15 April 2009

Enjoy Sunday breakfast with the elephants

Auckland Zoo will be serving up a jumbo-sized breakfast like no other to Aucklanders who get along to its Elephant Breakfast with elephants Kashin and Burma on Sunday 3 May.

This exclusive early morning event (7.30am – 10.30am) offers guests the opportunity to meet Kashin and Burma before sitting down to a delicious gourmet breakfast in the elephant paddock, with the elephants and their keepers also present.  Participants will also be able to watch the elephants paint and take part in exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of either sealions, lions, lemurs, rhinos or hippos, before a final meeting with the elephants.

A fundraiser for Elephant Nature Park, the breakfast is also a chance to bid for Kashin and Burma’s artworks and other unique items.

Established in the 1990s, Elephant Nature Park is a unique conservation project in Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province.  One of the most exciting developments of the Park (a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants) is its tree-planting programme, which is helping regenerate the rainforest in this region.  With thousands of trees already planted and plans for many thousands more, this project addresses one of the major threats to elephants – habitat loss

Loss of rainforest habitat and subsequent elephant-human conflict, has seen elephant numbers in the wild in Thailand plummet from over 100,000 in the 1900s to today’s estimate of just 1500 animals.

“If elephants are to survive in the wild, habitat containing the right balance of food and shelter must be restored. This exclusive breakfast with conservation ambassadors Kashin and Burma is a great way for people to experience these magnificent animals up close, and help support the conservation of Asian elephants," says Auckland Zoo conservation officer, Peter Fraser.

Tickets to the Elephant Breakfast cost $150 per person (plus a $2 transaction fee). This includes gourmet breakfast, behind-the-scenes tours, and gift bag.  After the event, participants are welcome to explore the rest of the zoo. Bookings can be made at www.aucklandzoo.co.nz or by phoning the zoo’s Information Centre on (09) 360 3805. Advance booking recommended.

ENDS

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