August
2003
August
27, 2003 - Zoo visitors go buggy
over Butterflies
August 12, 2003 -
At-risk boys and girls produce Public Service Announcements
August 11, 2003 -
Get your very own ZooDoo Elephant Fertilizer
August 6, 2003 -
Zoo headed for a Chick-A-Boom
August 1, 2003 -
Zoo brings "Dinosaurs" to Portland
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August
27, 2003
ZOO
VISITORS GO BUGGY OVER BUTTERFLIES
Zoo
extends summer exhibit by popular demand
PORTLAND, Ore. -Oregon Zoo has decided to give visitors exactly
what they want--more butterflies! Originally scheduled to
close Labor Day, the zoo has extended the butterfly exhibit
through September 14.
Visitors
are really enjoying the butterflies, calling it the most interactive
exhibit they've visited," said Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director. "Since
attendance has been strong and September is historically a good weather
month, we thought we should leave it open for two more weeks.
Many visitors expressed their enjoyment of the butterflies through e-mails.
"I had butterflies land on me, which was pretty unbelievable," e-mailed
one visitor. Another described Winged Wonders as "the most interesting
exhibit . . . the day's most exciting and rewarding activity."
In mid-July the zoo added ten new species of vibrant exotic butterflies,
the first exotics to visit the zoo in its 116-year history. Winged
Wonders,
sponsored by Meier & Frank, already contained more than 20 North
American species.
Some of the new butterflies include the glittering blue Morpho from
Nicaragua, the orange-polka-dotted Grecian Shoemaker from southern
Brazil,
and the brilliant Royal Blue from Mexico. Other butterflies are
native to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Columbia, and the Amazon Basin.
"The new butterflies are larger and even more vibrant than the North
American varieties!" said Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "Visitors
are always surprised to be completely immersed in butterflies; it
is a wonderful
experience."
Exhibit designers created Winged Wonders to be appealing to both butterflies
and humans. 
Benches
are scattered around the lush gardens for those who want to rest
and
perhaps experience becoming a butterfly's chosen perch.
An interactive display within the exhibit describes the life cycle of
these wild butterflies and then explains what the zoo is doing to raise
these rare creatures in captivity.
The Oregon Zoo is a charter member of the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association's (AZA) Butterfly Conservation Initiative, which includes
nearly 50 national zoos and aquariums. The Initiative is designed to
bring together government and non-government agencies to aid in the
recovery of imperiled North American butterflies. A portion of the proceeds
from the Oregon Zoo's butterfly exhibit helps support the zoo's butterfly
education and conservation efforts.
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August
12, 2003
AT-RISK
BOYS AND GIRLS CREATE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR OREGON ZOO
PORTLAND, Ore.-Twenty-five underserved children from the Portland area
are set to produce public service announcements for the Oregon Zoo during
Portland Cable Access's Intensive Television Boot Camp on August 13.
The student-created PSAs will highlight the zoo's exhibits, including
Africa, Alaska, North America, Asia, Indonesia, and the undersea world
of Steller Cove. The PSAs will air throughout the year on Portland Cable
Access channels 11, 22, 23 and 30, and on select Comcast cable channels.
"We already have worked with underserved audiences at the zoo and this
is a great opportunity to further those goals," said Tony Vecchio, zoo
director. "We're very impressed with the quality of video these kids
produce, and we're thrilled that they have chosen the zoo to hone their
skills. This really is a win win situation."
Portland Cable Access, through a grant from the Juan Young Trust, is
hosting the fourth annual Adventures in Television, a popular summer
youth media camp for members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland area.
During this intensive weeklong video production camp, taking place
August 11-15, 50 at-risk youth (ages 12-16) explore potential careers
in broadcast communications, while creating public service announcements
(PSAs) for local non-profit organizations. Other non-profits to be featured
include Pittock Mansion, Japanese Garden, World Forestry Center, Hoyt
Arboretum and the International Rose Test Garden.
"Adventures in Television is one of the most popular programs among
the young people served by our clubs," said Joseph Marziello, CEO of
the Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area. "The 50 teen
media makers have incredible fun producing their PSAs, but they're also
involved in the hard work of building their communication, technical
and people skills in the process."
Industry professionals speaking at this year's camp include Will Vinton
Studios animation director John Logue, art director/designer Tracy Prescott,
and Bob Schmaling of the Oregon Film and Video Office. Media companies
conducting small workshops include Flying Rhinoceros, Northwest Documentary
and the Northwest Film Studies Center. The campers will also participate
in the live studio audience at AM Northwest and tour the animation facilities
at Vinton Studios.
"We are especially thankful to the Juan Young Trust for their financial
support," commented Veronica Hunter, production and education director
for Portland Cable Access. "The camp would not have taken place this
year without them. In our current economic climate, programs like "Adventures"
are becoming an endangered species."
The camp culminates in a "premiere party" and public screening at the
historic Hollywood Theater on Saturday, August 16 at 4 p.m. Award winning
director Gus Van Sant will make a special appearance, and Vinton Studios'
Emmy award winning animator Brad Schiff will be this year's guest presenter.
The Hollywood Theater screening, located at 4122 N.E. Sandy, is free
and open to the public.
Adventures in Television is now in its fourth year. In addition to
the Juan Young Trust, major sponsors include Communications Workers
of America Local #7901 and ESPN. Other supporters include Professional
Video & Tape, Allied Vaughn, Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker, Comcast,
Turner Networks, Discovery Networks, MTV, C-Span, Crown Trophy, Starbucks,
Costco, Burger King, Burgerville, Jack in the Box, McDonald's and Chili's.
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August
11, 2003
ZOODOO
ELEPHANT FERTILIZER
ZooDoo is available for your yard or garden! The Oregon Zoo and Best
Buy Landscape Supplies are selling commemorative ZooDoo. Each dump-truck
load can be delivered to the anyone's home, garden, or farm and contains
some genuine Packy poop.
ZooDoo is enrichment for your garden and is manufactured by the world's
most prolific herd of captive Asian elephants as well as other herbivores.
They've produced more than enough ZooDoo to help put the bloom in our
zoo gardens and we'd like to share this "gardener's magic" with you.
Call Best Buy Landscape Supplies to find out the cost and arrange delivery
time. 503-645-6665. More information coming soon to this space!
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August
6, 2003
OREGON
ZOO HEADED FOR A CHICK-A-BOOM
PORTLAND, Ore.---Several little additions have arrived with the summer
in the Oregon Zoo's bird collections. Three rare Humboldt penguin
chicks and four brightly colored lorikeet chicks have hatched at the
Oregon Zoo this season.
The newest baby in the penguinarium arrived on June 3 and brings the
zoo's penguin population to 37. The two older penguin chicks
were both hatched on March 31 and are now swimming in the penguin exhibit
with their parents. The littlest penguin is still in a nest box
with its parents, although it is removed daily for weighing and a health
checkup.
Removing penguin chicks from the nest to check their health is necessary,
but not always simple. "Some of the parents are really good
about it," says Shawn St. Michael, bird keeper. "Some
of the parents try and fillet you." The chicks themselves
are "sweet and tractable."
Humboldt penguins are the most threatened of the 17 penguin species.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or
CITES, placed Humboldts on the Appendix I list in 1981 which means they
are "presently threatened with extinction." The Oregon
Zoo has one of the largest collections of Humboldts in the country.
The four new lorikeet chicks at the zoo join 72 others of the brightly
colored tropical parrots in the zoo's Lorikeet Landing aviary. The
lorikeet exhibit will continue to remain open to the public, despite
the current mating season.
Since its opening in 1999, the lorikeet aviary has been extremely popular
with visitors, says bird keeper St. Michael. "Our visitors
enjoy how interactive the exhibit is--they can buy small cups of nectar
to feed the lories. The birds are inquisitive and playful and will fly
down and land on a person's arm or hand, taking sips out of the cups,"
he explains.
Seven nest boxes were placed throughout the lory exhibit this summer
to encourage breeding activity. A lorikeet egg usually takes about
24 days to incubate. Once born, the chicks are quickly covered
with gray down. They leave the nest fully fledged some 9 to 10
weeks after hatching.
There are 10 different species of lories in Lorikeet Landing. Native
to the island chains of the South Pacific, the zoo's birds come mainly
from the larger islands of Australia, New Guinea, Polynesia and Indonesia.
Among the most beautiful of all birds, lories are feathered in vivid
colors and varying hues, combining bright yellows, deep violets, radiant
reds, brilliant blues and lime-greens. The colors are further enhanced
by the natural glossiness of the lories' plumage.
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August
1, 2003
ZOO
BRINGS "DINOSAURS" TO PORTLAND, AUGUST 15
PORTLAND, Ore.- Dodge through a stampede of thundering apatosaurs, feel
your heart in your throat as you evade a T-Rex, witness a prehistoric
battle high in the air, while dangling from the claws of a pteranodon-all
from the safety of the Oregon Zoo's new thrill ride, opening August
15. Dino Island, produced by SimEx-Iwerks, is the zoo's latest
simulator ride, which replaces the popular Deep Sea thrill ride.
"The Deep Sea was a tremendous success," according to Tony
Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director. "More than 36,000 people experienced
the ride, which generated $156,467. The revenue from Deep Sea helps
pay for many conservation and education programs at the zoo," he
added.
Vecchio believes Dino Island, with its life-like dinosaurs, will be
even more popular.
"Seeing huge dinosaurs in our simulator is a thrilling experience,"
says Vecchio. "The T-Rex looking at me like I was lunch was something
I won't soon forget," he added.
Dino Island, which runs through October 17, is a high-action, animated
simulation that relies on computer-controlled hydraulics, moving the
entire audience in synchronization with the prehistoric actions on the
screen. Riders view the dinosaurs while traveling in their virtual
all-terrain vehicle. They race, twist and plummet in synchrony while
dinosaurs attack and pursue them.
According to Vecchio, the specific dinosaur encounters promise to be
memorable. He describes the experience:
Riders will join zoo staff as members of a scientific team entrusted
to uncover the secrets of a newly discovered island. A helicopter
airlifts passengers within their all-terrain vehicle to the island.
Upon arrival, they discover volcanic canyons and rivers of lava. They
also discover the island is thriving with prehistoric plants. But
the amazing sight of this primeval landscape is quickly eclipsed by
a sight even more amazing - living, breathing dinosaurs.
Riders feel their vehicle violently shudder with the force of a strong
earthquake, but it's not a seismic event that threatens them - it's
a herd of stampeding apatosaurs. Fallen trees litter the landscape
and looming above is a smoldering volcano, spewing smoke and threatening
to blow.
Later, the vehicle careens over a high cliff only to be saved when a
giant pteranodon grasps it with its razor-sharp talons. With a
massive jolt, riders are carried aloft and are helpless as a dogfight
ensues among prehistoric creatures. As the creatures swoop dangerously
close, the pteranodon drops the vehicle and it falls to the forest below.
A thick canopy of trees breaks the fall. Just when riders think the
worse is over, a ferocious tyrannosaurus rex towers above them. The
vehicle backs away as the bus-sized creature begins his terrifying pursuit
through the wooded forest, hungrily snapping his jaws.
Vecchio won't share how Dino Island concludes.
"I'm not giving the ending away," says Vecchio. "People
will have to experience first-hand how it ends, but I will say, it's
explosive!" quipped Vecchio.
Dino Island is in the air-conditioned SimEx simulation theater located
on the former entry plaza directly across from the Amur Tiger exhibit,
close to the Zoo Railway Station. In addition to regular zoo admission,
a $4 ticket ($3 for members) is required. Proceeds from ticket sales
help pay for the zoo's conservation and education programs. Due to the
limited number of seats, a maximum of 800 visitors per day are able
to experience the ride.
Visitors can still experience Deep Sea: The Ride, by request through
September 1.
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