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Like any diva, she is not keen on working hard, loves socialising and beautiful scents - and has a weight problem. She is the 3.6 tonne-Kashin, the much-loved elephant at Auckland Zoo and star of TV2's popular The Zoo, which returns tonight at 7pm.
Kashin features strongly in the first two episodes as her keepers are worried about her knee joints. An x-ray shows treatment is required and just like any super star, Kashin becomes quite the "new age" elephant with a series of treatments that include acupuncture, lasers, vibration therapy, supplements and medication.
As viewers will see, she is also in for some "hydro therapy" treatment as the keepers take her and fellow elephant Burma for a swim in the lion's moat. As the keepers go into the enclosure with Kashin and Burma the lions are locked away. Not only is the swim good fun but it also takes the weight off Kashin's aching joints and helps keep her moving.
Jumping into the moat with the elephants is Andrew Coers (pictured right), who has worked with Kashin for 10 years. A lanky blond who started working at the zoo as a schoolboy volunteer, Coers obviously loves the elephants and talks to both more like friends than animals. Kashin is sometimes called "Kashybear" and Burma is known as Boo.
With a certificate in captive wild animals from Unitec and years of on-the-job learning, Coers has a wealth of knowledge about elephants and is interesting and entertaining even when talking about dung.
As team leader of carnivores, elephants and sea lions, he has a big job with many animals and a large team of human keepers under his care. In this series, he has a lot of screentime, as tigers Oz and Malek take their first steps towards parenthood.
Despite working with many animals, you can't help but feel the elephants have a special place in his heart. In the wild they live in female-dominated herds and Coers takes in good humour his fellow keepers' jokes about him being the matriarch of Auckland Zoo's herd.
"Elephants are incredible animals and it is amazing for people to be able to see their power close up," he says. "I just want people to get to know these endangered animals and enjoy them while they can."
Asian elephants such as Kashin and Burma are endangered as their jungle homes are cleared for crop land. Coming from the jungle environment means the elephants are surprisingly nimble and good at climbing.
As well as trumpeting, squeaking and many other noises, Kashin communicates with Burma by vibrating sound around the honeycomb shapes inside her forehead. Humans can't hear the noise but it helps the elephants "talk" over many kilometres of dense jungle.
Kashin also has a sensitive sense of smell and is always investigating smells with her trunk. When she meets a person she likes it if they blow into her trunk. Coers can tell from her body language this is something she enjoys and it's how he knows she likes the aroma of coffee.
Coers says one of the biggest challenges in looking after elephants is keeping them stimulated. The keepers try to make sure that each day is different but it usually starts with a hearty breakfast of bamboo shoots or other vegetation, supplements for health, and bran and horse/pony pellets.
After a bath (warm water in winter), the elephants go for a walk around the zoo or into the bush. A training session follows, with Kashin and Burma practising activities such as pushing over logs and stepping over obstacles. They also practise showing the keepers their feet and mouths.
Far from being circus-style tricks, these exercises help keep the elephants stimulated and mimic their behaviour in the wild. They're also handy for the keepers when checking the health of the animals' mouth and feet.
The keepers talk to Kashin and Burma in a mixture of Sri Lankan and a made-up language. "If you tried the commands, they wouldn't do it. They are very intelligent and they would think who are you and why should I?"' he explains.
Lunch follows the training session, then there are more activities in the afternoon including meeting visitors and perhaps a swim in the 2m pool in their own enclosure. Between 3.30pm and 4.30pm it is home to their enclosure for more food (they eat up to 200kg of food each a day) and then bed.
Like horses, elephants can doze on their feet but they will lie down for a couple of hours for a deep sleep. During the night Kashin and Burma could be up and down as many as four times, and they eat throughout. Which means the morning routine always starts again with a lot of dung for the keepers to clean up.
When Burma, who is 26, first joined Kashin the older elephant was impatient with Burma's "teenage high jinks". But Coers says Burma has matured and the two now get on well. The Zoo is considering its future plans for the elephants and there is talk of finding a sperm donor for Burma so she can experience motherhood.
Coers says zoos around the world are moving to having family groups of elephants rather than individuals so it is more in keeping with the family herds of wild elephants.
Kashin will turn 40 this year and fans of the show will be able to attend her birthday party at the zoo on Sunday, November 16. She and Burma will be painted in traditional Indian-style and will walk to the central lawn/band rotunda for cake and party activities.
