The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo in Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Downtown Portland, the zoo is inside Portland's Washington Park, and includes a narrow-gauge excursion train that connects to the International Rose Test Garden inside the park. Opened in 1887 after a private animal collector donated his animals to the City of Portland, the 64 acres (260,000 m2) zoo is now owned by the regional Metro government.
A member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, it has successful breeding programs for California Condors and Asian elephants. The zoo also boasts an extensive plant collection throughout its animal exhibits and specialized gardens. During the summer it is host to a concert series, and in the winter produces a holiday light show viewed from the train. The Oregon Zoo is Oregon's largest paid attraction, with more than 1.6 million visitors in 2008 to 2009.
The Oregon Zoo was founded in 1888, making it the oldest North American zoo west of the Mississippi. It all began with two grizzly bears purchased by Richard Knight.
A former seaman turned pharmacist, Knight began collecting animals from his seafaring friends. He kept his collection in the back of his drug store on Third & Morrison streets. When caring for the animals became too large a responsibility he sought to sell them to the city of Portland.
Instead of buying the animals, the city offered to give Knight two circus cages and allowed him to place the caged bears on the grounds of the City Park (now called Washington Park).
Care and feeding of the bears, however, still fell to the Knight family and friends. It wasn't long before Knight addressed the city council again regarding the bears. Just five months later, he offered to donate the young grizzly, along with its cage (it is unclear what happened to the second bear) to the city. Portland City Council accepted his offer on November 7, 1888.
Thus began the Portland Zoo, later to be renamed the Oregon Zoo.
By 1894 there were over 300 animals in the zoo’s collection. In 1925, the zoo moved to the site of the present Portland Japanese Garden, and moved again in 1959 to its current site. The zoo was renamed the Portland Zoological Gardens in 1959. At this time, Washington Park and Zoo Railway was constructed to connect the zoo to its former site, and the other attractions in Washington Park. The zoo became popular locally in 1953, when Rosy the Asian elephant was acquired. The zoo became world-famous in 1962 when the Asian elephant "Packy" was born. He was the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years and is (as of 2010) the tallest Asian elephant in the United States at 10.5 ft (3.2 m) tall .A total of 28 more calves have been born at the Oregon Zoo, including seven sired by Packy (two of which still live with him), making it the most successful zoo elephant breeding program in the world. On August 23, 2008 Rose-Tu, the granddaughter of the zoo's first elephant Rosy, gave birth to a son named Samudra. This makes Samudra the first third generation captive born elephant in North America.
In 1971, management was given to Metro, which continues expansion projects, aided by donors, sponsors and volunteers. The zoo was renamed in 1976 as the Washington Park Zoo after a naming contest. The Metro Council changed the zoo's name from the Washington Park Zoo to the Oregon Zoo in April 1998. In September of that year, the zoo became accessible by the region's MAX light rail system, with the opening of a Westside MAX line featuring an underground Washington Park station. In 2003, the zoo began participation in a California condor recovery program started by San Diego Wild Animal Park and Los Angeles Zoo. The program is designed to breed California condors to be released into the wild and save them from extinction.
In November 2008 regional voters approved a $125 million bond measure to improve infrastructure, enhance older exhibits and increase access to conservation education and the degree of sustainability. Attendance at the zoo reached a record 1.6 million visitors for their 2008 to 2009 year. The record was due in part to the birth of another baby elephant. A new record was set the following year with 1,612,359 people visiting the zoo.
Opened in 1991, the Africa Rainforest exhibit covers 1.3 acres (5,300 m2) and was built at a cost of $4.3 million. In addition to animals, the exhibit includes artwork and the Kongo Ranger Station, a mock up of a safari expedition. Animals in the exhibit include Rodriguez Fruit Bats, Straw-Colored Fruit Bats, Egyptian Fruit Bats, Colobus Monkey, Allen's Swamp Monkey, Red Flanked Duiker, Hadada Ibis, Saddle-billed Stork, White-Faced Whistling Ducks, African Rock Python, Slender-snouted Crocodile, Nile Monitor Lizard, Meerkats, Lungfish, and Cichlids.
The Africa Savanna exhibit opened in April 1989 and is 4 acres (16,000 m2) in size. This exhibit includes animals typical of East Africa and includes an aviary and areas for large mammals. These include Black Rhinoceros, De Brazza's Monkey, Hippopotamus, Naked Mole-Rat, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk, Egyptian Spiny Mouse, Damara Zebra, Speke's Gazelle, Southern Ground Hornbill, Weaver Birds, Marabou Storks, Cape Thick-Knee, Red-crested Turaco, Hamerkop, Buffalo Weaver, African Hooded Vulture, and Hingeback Tortoises.
Predators of the Serengeti, which opened in September of 2009, covers 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) and cost $6.8 million to build. It is located on the site of the former Alaska Tundra exhibit, with some of the animals from the Alaska exhibit moved to other locations inside the zoo, such as the wolf exhibit.[] Animals in the Serengeti exhibit include Lions, Cheetahs, African Wild Dogs, Caracals, Scorpions, Chameleons, Nile crocodiles, Dwarf mongoose, and red-billed hornbill . The zoo previously had lions, but closed the exhibit in 1998 and converted the area into Steller Cove. The three new lions come from zoos in Virginia and Wisconsin.
This exhibit opened in September, 2001. It simulates the Amazonian basin during its seasonal floods. Visitors can view the flooded environment from either above or below the water. Animals in the exhibit include Ocelot, Agouti, Black Howler Monkey, Pale-Faced Saki Monkey,Red handed tamarin, Brazilian Cockroach, Arrau Turtle, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Dwarf Caiman, Emerald Tree Boa, Yellow-banded Poison Dart, Cardinal Tetra, Heckel Discus, Orange Spot, Pacu, Arawana, Plecostomus, Anacondas.
at the Oregon Zoo]] Three female (Sung-Surin "Shine", Rose-Tu, Chendra) and four male (Packy, Rama, Tusko, Samudra "Sam") Asian elephants are displayed at the popular elephant exhibit (all except Chendra and Tusko, who were born in the wild, were born there). Chendra is the only Borneo Elephant in the United States. The exhibit is currently 1.5 acres, but there are plans to expand it to 6 acres under the 2008 bond measure. On August 23, 2008, Rose-Tu and Tusko gave birth to, Samudra (who is also the first third-generation elephant born in the United States). There is a swimming hole in which up to ten elephants can simultaneously completely submerge, sandy ground for comfortable walking and a scratching station, which the elephants often choose to scratch their head, sides, belly, etc.
The Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum is a collection of historical, religious, and sociological artifacts including some on long term loan from the Smithsonian, such as an 8 foot (2.4 m) tall mastodon skeleton. The museum also contains original artwork by Henry Moore and Salvador Dali. This museum was the first of its kind in the world.[]
(Ursus maritimus) slumbers during winter]] There are four bears in two separate bear exhibits. Two Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) are located in an exhibit that is designed to mimic the area near Hudson Bay in Canada. One female, Tasul, and her brother named Conrad, are easily viewed. The exhibit previously had another female, Yugyan, but she was euthanized in August 2008 due to kidney failure. The exhibit opened in 1986 and has two pools of water for the animals, one for winter and one for summer. There are two Malaysian sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) in a tropical forest environment simulated in part with heat producing artificial trees. Both bears are females, named Vivian and Jody. The Great Northwest exhibit previously had three black bears, but all were euthanized in 2009 due to cancer and old age.
This exhibit includes wildlife from the western portions of the Pacific Northwest, and has eight areas: Black Bear Ridge, Eagle Canyon, Cascade Stream and Pond, Cougar Crossing, Elk Meadow, Cascade Crest, Trillium Creek Family Farm, and Steller Cove. Cascade Canyon Trail connects each of the exhibits, except Steller Cove, and includes a suspension bridge that offers views of Black Bear Ridge.
The Cascade Stream and Pond portion is the oldest of these exhibits, which opened in 1982 and features Beavers, North American river otters, ringtails, egrets, and herons. The next oldest is the Elk Meadow that opened in 1993 originally with only Elk. Wolves were added to the 1.9-acre (0.77 ha) exhibit in 2007. The only animals on display are gray wolves and Roosevelt Elk. Opened in 1998, Cascade Crest is a mountain-like exhibit made mostly of basalt and features a snow cave, cirque lake and twisted alpine trees. The 10,920 square feet (1,015 m2) exhibit cost $11.6 million to build and is located near the entrance to the zoo. The only animals are mountain goats. Black Bear Ridge is the next exhibit along the Cascade Canyon Trail. The $2 million area opened in 2007 and has a twoBobcats. The exhibit had three American Black Bears, but all three were euthanized in 2009 due to various causes. The Zoo is currently trying to acquire three new bears from Utah.
Eagle Canyon is the next exhibit along the trail and has two Bald eagles along with Coho salmon in a stream. This 20,800-square-foot (1,930 m2) area opened in 2004. Cougar Crossing comes after Eagle Canyon and features one cougar in a 4,260-square-foot (396 m2) facility that opened in 2006. The last area along the Cascade Canyon Trail is the Trillium Creek Family Farm. Opened in 2004 at a cost of $1 million, animals are presented by high school students who also explain local farm historical trends, technology and demonstrate related activities such as composting, shearing and agriculture. A variety of domestic animals such as Dexter cattle, guinea hogs,Pygora Goats, Araucana chickens, Runner ducks, and Domestic Rabbits are part of the farm's exhibits. The final area of the Great Northwest Exhibit is the Steller Cove which features animals and plants from the Oregon Coast. The $11 million exhibit opened in 2000 and includes a tide pool and kelp forest populated with Steller Sea Lions, (Eumetopias jubatus), Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris), Sea Anemones, Chiton, Limpet, Snail, Mussel, Crab, Sea Cucumber, Urchin, Sea Star, Sculpin, Goby, painted greenling and Gunnel.
The zoo also has areas with Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, Lories and Lorikeets, and the Insect Zoo Hut. Other exhibits include the Cats of the Amur Region which houses Amur Leopards and Amur Tigers. The Primate Exhibit features Chimpanzees, Orangutans, White-Cheeked Gibbons, Mandrills, Red-Handed Tamarins, and Tree Shrews. A new exhibit, Red Ape Reserve is currently under construction. It will be an indoor/outdoor exhibit housing both Orangutans and White cheeked gibbons. The zoo is also home to two species of endngered wild pigs; Babirusas and Visayan Warty Pigs.
The zoo is located at the southern boundary of Washington Park, which is also the home of Portland Children's Museum, World Forestry Center, Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and Hoyt Arboretum. An adjacent trail system connects the zoo to the International Rose Test Garden, the Portland Japanese Garden, and Forest Park.
