Oregon Zoo

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Oregon Zoo


Date opened	1887
Location	Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, USA
Land area	64 acres
Coordinates	45°30′30.3120″N, 122°42′53.1360″W
Accreditations/ Memberships	AZA
Website
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The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Metro Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo two miles west southwest of downtown Portland, Oregon in Portland's Washington Park. It is Oregon's largest paid attraction, with more than 1.3 million visitors yearly.

[edit] History

The Oregon Zoo was founded in 1887, making it the oldest North American zoo west of the Mississippi. It began with the donation of an animal attraction that outgrew its place in a vacant lot beside a pharmacy in downtown Portland. [1] The first zoo site was near where the reservoirs in Washington Park are now. The collection grew quickly — by 1894 there were over 300 animals. In 1925, the zoo moved to the site of the present Portland Japanese Garden, and moved again in 1959 to its current site. A few years afterward, management was given to Metro, which continues expansion projects, aided by donors, sponsors and volunteers, to the present.

Shortly after the zoo began, the city park keeper (also the zoo keeper then) dug a bear pit, possibly the earliest sunken, barless bear exhibit in the world. Today, the zoo continues the tradition: most animal exhibits are spacious natural or semi-natural environments for the inhabitants—-not the cages of many other zoos. For example, a bird exhibit is a high open air aviary for humans to walk through. (An "airlock" sequential door arrangement keeps the residents at home.)

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 2006) the largest Asian elephant in the United States at 10.5 ft (3.2 m) tall and 13,500 lbs (6,100 kg). A total of 27 more calves have been born at the Oregon Zoo, including 7 sired by Packy, making it the most successful zoo elephant breeding program in the world. [2]

The zoo has over a thousand specimens representing two hundred species, 21 of which are endangered. In 2003 the zoo began participation in a California condor recovery program started by San Diego Wild Animal Park and Los Angeles Zoo.

[edit] Major areas of the zoo

[edit] African Rainforest (1.3 acres)

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, Tilapia, Lungfish, Cichlids, Meerkats

[edit] African Savanna (4+ acres)

Black Rhinoceros, DeBrazza's Monkey, Hippopotamus, Naked Mole-Rat, Reticulated Giraffe, Geranuk, Egyptian Spiny Mice, Damara Zebra, Speke's Gazelle, Southern Ground Hornbill, Weaver Birds, Marabou Stork, Cape Thick-Knee, Red-crested Turaco, Hamerkop, Buffalo Weaver, African Hooded Vulture, Hingeback Tortoise

[edit] Predators of the Serengeti (1.5+ acres)

Scheduled to open summer of 2009, will include Lions, Cheetahs, African Wild Dogs

[edit] Alaskan Tundra (1.5+ acres)

Musk Ox, Grey Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Spotted Owl, Short-Eared Owls, Tundra Ducks together with tundra museum exhibits.

[edit] Amazon Flooded Forest

Ocelot, Agouti, Black Howler Monkey, Two-toed Sloth, Pale Faced Saki Monkey, Pygmy Marmoset, Brazilian Cockroach, Swainson's Toucan, Arrau Turtle, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Dwarf Caiman, Emerald Tree Boa, Green Anaconda, Yellow Banded Poison Dart Frog, Cardinal Tetra, Heckle Discus, Orange Spot Freshwater Stingray, Pacu, Arawana, Plescostomus, Raphael Catfish

[edit] Asian Elephants (2+ acres)

Asian elephants at the zoo

Three female and three male asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are displayed at the popular elephant exhibit, including the famous Packy. There is a swimming hole in which up to ten elephants can simultaneously completely submerge [3], sandy ground for comfortable walking and a scratcher, which the elephants can choose to scratch their head, sides, belly, etc.

Located next to the elephant exhibit is the Elephant Museum, a collection of historical, religious, and sociological artifacts including some on long term loan from the Smithsonian. [4] An 8 foot (2.4 m) tall mastodon skeleton is present. This museum was the first one of its kind in the world.

[edit] Bears

There are five bears in two exhibits: one arctic, one tropical. All five bears were born in 1986 or 1987.

The Polar bear exhibit simulates the environment around Churchill, Manitoba near Hudson Bay, Canada. Two females and a male Ursus maritimus are easily viewed.

There are two Malaysian Sun Bears (Helarctos malayanus) in a tropical forest environment simulated in part with heat producing artificial trees.

[edit] Pacific Shores (1.2+ acres)

Amur Leopard in the feline section of Pacific Shores

Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, Lorikeets, Amur Leopards, Amur Tigers and Insect Zoo Hut.

[edit] Primates

Chimpanzees, Orangutans, White-Cheeked Gibbons, Siamangs, Mandrills, Francois Langurs, Red-Handed Tamarins, Tree Shrews

[edit] Great Northwest (new, portions under development)

[edit] Cascade Stream and Marsh

Beavers, North American river otters, ringtails, egrets.

[edit] Eagle Canyon

Bald eagles, sturgeon, rainbow trout and kokane salmon

[edit] Cascade Crest

A realistic Cascade mountain-like exhibit made mostly of basalt features a snow cave, cirque lake and twisted alpine trees. It is home to a small herd of mountain goats.

[edit] Stellar Cove

A typical Oregon Pacific ocean setting includes a tide pool and kelp forest populated with Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), sea otters (Enhydra lutris), anemone, chiton, limpet, snail, mussel, crab, sea cucumber, urchin, sea star, sculpin, goby, painted greenling and gunnel.

[edit] Trillium Creek Family Farm

A variety of sheep, goats, chickens and occasional rarer breeds are presented by high school students who also explain local farm historical trends, technology and demonstrate related activities such as composting, shearing and agriculture. The Trillium Creek Family Farm is operated entirely by teenage volunteers.