1947: The Swedish vessel Mangarella which arrived in Melbourne today assumed the character of a modern Noah's Ark after calling at Mombassa, East Africa, on the voyage from Gothenburg. The vessel called at the African port to load a valuable cargo of animals, birds and reptiles for the Taronga Park zoo, Sydney. The collection of wild life ranged from finches to a seven-year-old African elephant, the first of its kind to be brought to Australia. - The Mercury 7 January 1947 2006: Under a joint collaboration between the Melbourne and Taronga Zoos, eight elephants were imported from Thailands successful and large domestic breeding population. Legal action and protests, located in both Thailand and Australia, delayed the elephants importation for two years after quarantine in both southern Thailand and the Cocos Islands. Diplomatic and ministerial negotiations between the two countries succeeded and, in November 2006, the eight animals were flown to the Avalon Airport by a Russian Ilyushin cargo plane and delivered to their new homes via tray trucks. Females Num-Oi, Kulab and Dokkoon found new home in Melbourne, while females Tong Dee, Tang Mao, Porntip, and Pak Boon and male Gung made residence in Sydney.
