Niue preparing for elephant quarantine

Transcript

The authorities on Niue are preparing to hold two elephants in quarantine for New Zealand's Auckland Zoo.

Auckland Zoo has confirmed work is continuing to import two elephants from an orphanage in Sri Lanka and if the deal is successful the earliest they will arrive on Niue is November.

If the deal falls through the zoo will get elephants will from another country at a later stage but they will still be quarantined on Niue.

The director of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Brendon Pasisi, says land about the size of a rugby field near the village of Avatele will become a secure enclosure for the three-month quarantine period. He spoke to Annell Husband.

BRENDON PASISI: There's a minimum requirement in terms of what animals of their size and nature require. So we have a piece of government land that meets those requirements. It's just over 4,000m2.

ANNELL HUSBAND: And what sort of fencing do you have to put around it, or does it already have some sort of boundary or what?

BP: Yes, there are some fences there. But, again, those are the requirements that are put in place, both as requirements for quarantine from New Zealand MPIs, as well as our requirements here. They've quarantined security fences, as well as security from the animals escaping or other animals coming in contact with them.

AH: And in terms of what they're going to eat, is there vegetation on Niue that will be suitable for them, or will all their food have to come in with them?

BP: No, no. I think there's plenty of vegetation here on the island that meets the requirements and is probably consistent with the local feed that they currently have, where they're coming from.

AH: OK. What is that? What do they actually eat?

BP: Oh, I think they eat a range of things. I can't tell you the whole list right now, but things like coconut leaves and trunk and banana trunks and leaves, elephant grass, those sorts of things.

AH: Are there likely to be possibilities for interaction between the elephants and the people on the island, or will they have to be kept... will people have to stay completely away?

BP: I think it's anticipated that people will be able to visually see them from a distance, but because it is a strictly regulated quarantine area, then certain protocols have to be followed. But the intention is that people will be able to view them from a distance. But we have to work through what is safe to do, as well as ensuring there's an opportunity for the children here to see them and learn, and the community as a whole.