PGE Presents Wild Life Live

BEHIND THE SCENES
AT THE OREGON ZOO's WILDLIFE SHOW!

During the beautiful Oregon summers, the wildlife show collection can be seen soaring over the concert lawn or climbing over the stage. In the fall, winter and spring, the same animals educate thousands of school children both offsite and on Zoo grounds. Although the animals do spend plenty of time in the public, a lot goes on behind the scenes to ensure their health and welfare.

An outdoor view of the mews

Keeping it Green

Wild Life Live supports the Zoo's mission of providing a better future for wildlife. This passion is not only reflected in our programs but also in the construction of our building. With help from Portland General Electric, the wildlife show building was constructed with the environment in mind. The building is made of recycled plastic lumber, and is open to the elements. The open-air construction allows for better circulation and natural lighting, cutting down on the need for electricity.

Aside from the sustainable construction, each enclosure is custom designed for the individual species in our collection. Birds are offered a variety of perching, to simulate their natural environment, as well as ample space to exercise in. The mammals also have large enclosures that simulate their natural habitat. In addition to the individual animal areas, there is also an exercise enclosure with extra enrichment options for our animals to explore. From constructing natural habitats to animal care, a lot of time and hard work goes into the upkeep of our collection.

A volunteer prepares diets for the raptors in the
show

Keeping the Collection

The health and wellbeing of the animals in our collection is a top priority, therefore each staff member and volunteer is dedicated to providing the highest standard of animal care. Everyday, each animal is weighed and checked to make sure they are in great health. All of the enclosures are disinfected and diets are prepared according to the animal's nutritional needs and natural eating habits. The entire show collection receives regular exams from our experienced and knowledgeable veterinary staff and each animal receives some form of enrichment at least once or twice a day. Enrichment is focused on eliciting species-specific, natural behaviors. Enrichment options can range anywhere from paper mache animals to miniature snowmen with food hidden inside.

Training the animals is also a form of enrichment and a large part of our program. All of the animals in the show program are trained using positive reinforcement. Training a new behavior requires a lot of patience and hard work. Seven different staff members take responsibility for training the animals in our collection. Although the staff is responsible for the training, both staff and volunteers participate in animal care.

Behind the scenes, enrichment for the animals
is organized and labeled

Keeping it All Together!

The wildlife show has a solid volunteer base that is strongly committed to the program. The volunteers do everything from cleaning, diet preparation, and enrichment to manning birds and helping with shows. Among the volunteers, our interns also serve as a vital resource, helping to run our program while learning animal husbandry and public speaking skills. Staff member Shannon LaMonica says, "Our volunteers are an invaluable part of our program. We could not run the type of show we have without them." Along with the volunteers, the area is staffed by two permanent employees and five seasonal trainers, all from various backgrounds. All staff members are passionate about the program and its messages and are strongly devoted to animal care.

If you would like to volunteer or intern with our program, more information is available at:

Volunteering with Wild Life Live: www.oregonzoo.org/Volunteer/index.htm
Interning with Wild Life Live: www.oregonzoo.org/Intern/show.htm