Flying elephant touches down in South Australia

Adelaide has welcomed 3.8 tonnes of rare and precious cargo in the form of Burma the Asian elephant, who will soon call South Australia's Monarto Safari Park home.

The gentle giant, known for her energetic and playful nature, arrived today after a lengthy journey from her former home at Auckland Zoo, where she resided for 34 years.

Burma's arrival in Adelaide was met with great enthusiasm from locals. 

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Airport onlookers, including plane enthusiasts and families with children, gathered to witness the rare sight of an elephant landing on Australian soil.

Burma underwent extensive training to prepare her for the trip. Her custom-made crate was then loaded onto a truck and transported through Auckland, and onto a specially chartered Atlas Air cargo plane for her four-hour flight to Adelaide, accompanied by her New Zealand keepers. 

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After landing, Burma had a health check by specialist veterinarians before being escorted by police on a truck journey from the airport through the western suburbs and up the freeway to her new home.

Monarto Safari Park will host a herd of five elephants, with Permai and Putra Mas from Perth Zoo and Pak Boon and Tang Mo from Taronga Zoo, to join Burma by the end of next year.

Burma has now entered 30 days of quarantine, before the South Australian public gets an elephant just in time for Christmas.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.