Perth Zoo is in talks with the WA Museum about how best to honor Tricia, the Asian elephant and animal ambassador who died Wednesday at age 65.
Perth Zoo executive director Wendy Attenborough said they were arguing to “ensure that Tricia can continue to be an extraordinary ambassador of her kind as she was in life.”
“They will keep her in a safe space for a while and then we will have some very respectful conversations when it is the right time on how to properly recognize her legacy,” he said Thursday.
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When asked if she supported the idea of a life-size statue of Tricia, Ms. Attenborough said one of the oldest known elephants in the world was “certainly worthy of a fantastic legacy and that’s what we’re working to achieve.”
Tricia recently suffered from deteriorating health, including sleep and mobility problems, and died surrounded by her zoo caregivers in her night rooms.
A special memorial walk will open at Perth Zoo on Sunday for Western Australians to pay their respects.
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Fifty percent of Sunday’s admission fees will go to a conservation fund named in Tricia’s honor.
Perth Zoo has asked the community not to send flowers and to help create a legacy for this “extraordinary animal”.
The Tricia Tribute to Conservation Fund has been set up to support the conservation work of the Perth Zoo and to build an elephant watchtower in the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem of Sumatra on its behalf.
The fund will help conservationists control and protect one of Sumatra’s last remaining wild herds of elephants.
Meanwhile, the zoo will look for an interstate park and abroad to find an open park that can house its two younger elephants, Permai and Putra Mas.
“We are not in a hurry. We will take care of them immediately after Tricia’s death,” Environment Minister Reece Whitby told reporters on Thursday.
“The main concern will be their safety and well-being, so we want to do well.”
With AAP