 Packy's
History
Packy
put Portland on the map in 1962 when he made international news for being
the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in over 44 years.
Packy’s parents were Thonglaw and Belle. Thonglaw was wild-born
in Cambodia in 1947 and Belle was wild-born in Bangkok in 1952. Thonglaw
died in 1974 and Belle died in 1997.
Portlanders
first learned of Belle’s
pregnancy and the impending birth through an article in THE OREGONIAN
in January, and the city came
alive with anticipation. “Belle Bulletins” and a “Name
the Baby” contest were aired by local radio stations. Stuffed
elephants appeared in toy departments and school children made drawings
of what
they thought the baby would look like. For three months zoo veterinarian
Dr. Matthew Maberry literally lived in the elephant house, keeping
a close
watch on the maternity ward.
 The
big event happened at 5:58 a.m. on April 14, and the news about the
225-pound baby spread rapidly. Newspapers
and radio stations around
the
world announced the birth to readers and listeners, and LIFE magazine
covered the event with an eleven-page spread. Baby gifts flooded
the zoo,
everything from gold-plated safety pins to hand-knitted garments.
Visitors flocked to see the new pachyderm and attendance soared, setting
an
all-time
high.
Packy
is now the largest Asian elephant in the United States.
He stands 10’6” at the shoulder and weighs approximately
13,500 pounds.
Oregon
Zoo is famous the world over for its prolific Asian elephants.
Twenty-seven calves have been born here, with fifteen sired by
Thonglaw, seven by Packy, one by Tunga and four by Hugo.
Packy
is the only second-generation captive bull to breed successfully in
world zoo history. Two of his offspring, Sung-Surin and Rama, are still at the zoo.
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