Animal Diaries Archive

The history of Siam, Sabu and Bimbo

30 June 2006

While many of our readers will be familiar with the daily routines of our elephants from previous updates, most will be unaware of their history and their life journey up until now! The three gorgeous ladies are in their late forties; therefore, given their age and the short amount of time spent at our Zoo (since 2003), there is much to be said about their lives prior to the arrival at the Zoo. A man named Stafford Bullen brought these elephants over from Burma to Australia when they were babies (four years old) to join the renowned family circus. For several years these elephants travelled across great parts of Australia and New Zealand, performing for many adoring fans. In 1969 the Bullens opened a new safari park/animal world in Sydney, which meant the days of traveling were over for the elephants. However, time at this new park was spent performing daily and also giving elephant rides to children.

Today the elephants are owned by Brenton, the son of Stafford Bullen. Brenton has grown up with these elephants since he was a toddler and now enjoys a unique and close relationship with them. Brenton is very much a father figure in their life, and enjoys their strong relationship that is built on both respect and loyalty. In 2003, Australia Zoo was very lucky to host the elephants for the holiday periods. Since that time they have become crowd favourites and we are now very honored to have the elephants and Brenton as permanent residents at our Zoo.