SEVEN-year-old Gung’s amorous appetite could sire the first Australian-born Asian elephants.
A few months ago he finally learned about the birds and the bees – and he hasn’t let up since.
Gung – the only male among Taronga’s five Asian elephants – is almost certain to father a baby elephant in the near future.
"It’s almost a no-brainer," Taronga Zoo elephant keeper Lucy Melo said.
Tests have shown Gung is in good health and ultrasounds of the four females – Porntip, 15, Pak Boon, 14, Tang Mo, 10, and Thong Dee, 7 – show their reproductive systems are also healthy.
This month, the five celebrate the first anniversary of their arrival at their adopted home in Mosman.
The Federal Government has just endorsed the zoo’s treatment of the elephants by giving its seal of approval to a detailed report into their handling over the past 12 months.
The annual report was a condition of the elephants’ importation from Thailand in 2006 after a group of animal liberation activists tried to stop their entry through the courts.
Ms Melo cared for them for two years in rural Thailand while they waited for the all-clear.