© Oregon Zoo

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Roses are nice, chocolates are too, but animals crave other treats at the Oregon Zoo. Keepers will be spreading the love Wednesday, Feb. 14, from 10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. when they offer a few lucky animals some untraditional Valentine's Day gifts.

A valentine made out of ice might not be the best thing to give your sweetheart during winter, but nothing could sound tastier to sea otters. The zoo's festivities kick off at 10 a.m. when Thelma the sea otter receives a heart-shaped ice treat filled with shrimp and mussels.

What do you get for the monkey who has everything? At 10:20 a.m. the zoo's swamp monkeys receive heart-shaped boxes containing some of their favorite treats (raisins, sunflower seeds and cereal).

If elephants never forget, how would they feel if they were left out of the fun? The festivities wrap up at 10:40 a.m. when the zoo's female elephants receive valentines from their favorite keepers. Hidden inside each heart-shaped box are apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and cereal, as well as some sugar cubes to satisfy an extra-big sweet tooth.

This is the seventh year that special Valentine's Day enrichment treats have been handed out to zoo residents. The Oregon Zoo is known internationally for its enrichment programs, which mentally stimulate the animals, and provide them with the opportunity to play, hunt and forage.

After watching the animals receive their gifts, visitors may enjoy a more traditional Valentine's Day dessert special at the zoo's Cascade Grill, or purchase homemade fudge for their loved ones in the zoo's gift shop.

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Wildlife biologist Steven C. Amstrup poses with three polar bear cubs and their tranquilized mother, before weighing the bears to check their overall health. Amstrup and other experts discuss climate change and its effect on wildlife during the Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series, beginning Jan. 30 at the Oregon Zoo. © Oregon Zoo

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The changing climate is already affecting animals as large as polar bears and as small as butterflies - and rising ocean levels threaten coastal populations. Experts will discuss climate change at the Oregon Zoo as part of the Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series, beginning on Jan. 30 with Oregon State geoscientist Peter U. Clark. Recently added to the lecture series lineup is nature photographer Gary Braasch, who has spent the past seven years capturing the effects of global warming from behind his camera lens.

"This series helps bring attention to this critical global issue," says Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "The biggest threat wildlife faces is the world's dramatic warming. We're already seeing it with polar bear deaths due to the melting sea ice in the arctic. Without sea ice, the bears just can't survive. Each one of these lecturers will give us a glimpse of what our future may be like if we don't act to curtail greenhouse gases."

On Jan. 30, Peter U. Clark, from Oregon State's department of geosciences, lectures on the causes and effects of global warming. Climate models suggest that warming over the past few decades can only be explained by the known increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. Global warming will impact glaciers and ice sheets, global sea level, species distribution and extinctions, and the frequency and intensity of droughts, heat waves and possibly hurricanes.

On Feb. 27, Steven C. Amstrup, research wildlife biologist with the Alaska Science Center, discusses polar bears in decline due to dramatic climate change. Though their diet consists almost exclusively of seals, polar bears are not aquatic; their only access to seals is from the surface of the sea ice. Over the past 25 years, the summer sea-ice melt period has lengthened, and the summer sea-ice cover has declined by more than a half million square miles. Because of their dependence upon the sea ice, these changes directly affect whether Arctic polar bears will live or die. Ongoing studies are aimed at understanding polar bears' movement patterns in response to changing ice conditions.

On March 27, Jessica J. Hellmann, assistant professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame, addresses the impact of global warming on insects, which are extremely useful for investigating the responses of biodiversity to climate change. Hellmann discusses her current studies of butterflies on the West Coast. Findings so far show that species respond differently to climate change based on their ecology, evolutionary history and characteristics. Hellmann poses the question, "Should we be optimistic or pessimistic about the future of species with which we share our planet?"

On April 24, Portland-based nature photographer Gary Braasch presents his lecture, "A World View of Climate Change." Braasch has traveled the world since 2000, witnessing climate change from the point of view of scientists and those who are already being displaced. From Alaska to the Antarctic, the Alps to China, Bangladesh to the Great Barrier Reef, Braasch's photos show how widespread the effects of global warming already are. Braasch will also give a preview of his book to be published this summer, "Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming Is Changing the World," which includes a survey of what is already being done to combat rapid climate change.

The motivation for this series is the hope that community knowledge will be raised in the areas of wildlife conservation, environmental problems and ecological systems.

Pro Photo Supply, Shiels Obletz Johnsen and New Belgium Brewing present the series, which is hosted by the Audubon Society of Portland, the Oregon Zoo and the World Forestry Center. Lectures are held in the Oregon Zoo's Banquet Center and begin at 7 p.m. The cost for each lecture is $10 for nonmembers and $8 for members of host organizations, students or seniors.

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Meriwether (seen here perched on a log) remains calm before his capture at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation. Meriwether and three other condors from the Oregon Zoo were recently sent to The Peregrine Fund in Boise, Idaho. Meriwether and Tatoosh will be released in Arizona this summer. The other two Oregon-born condors will be released in the summer of 2008. © Oregon Zoo

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Four condors from the Oregon Zoo were recently sent to The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, for preparation leading to release in the wild in Arizona. Among these birds is Tatoosh (No. 367), born in April 2005, the second condor to be hatched in Oregon in more than a century. The others are Meriwether (No. 379), also hatched in 2005, and Ursa (No. 404) and Wiley (No. 420), both hatched in the spring of 2006.

Tatoosh and Meriwether are slated for release this summer into the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument of northern Arizona, and the younger two will be released during the summer of 2008. A video showing their capture from the zoo's breeding facility can be seen at http://www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/CondorMove.htm.

The zoo also acquired a new condor, known as No. 385, from The Peregrine Fund. Condor No. 385 hatched in May 2005 and is considered too "genetically valuable" to be released into the wild, according to assistant condor curator Shawn St. Michael. The zoo plans to use No. 385 for breeding purposes when he reaches maturity in six years.

The past two springs have been successful breeding seasons for condors at the Oregon Zoo, and the zoo hopes this season will be successful as well. "We are just starting the breeding season, but are seeing lots of encouraging behavior so far," says St. Michael. "All of the pairs are showing good breeding behaviors, and we have high hopes for a very productive season."

In 2001, the Oregon Zoo became the third zoo in the nation to join the California Condor Recovery Program. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo, and The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. The Oregon Zoo was the recipient of The Wildlife Society's Conservation Award for "creating the nation's fourth California condor breeding facility" in April 2005.

The zoo's condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in Clackamas County on Metro-owned open space. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors to people, increasing the chances for captive-hatched birds to survive and breed in the wild.

Condors, the largest land birds in North America, have wingspans of up to 10 feet and weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive, often engaging in play. Their range extended across much of North America during the Pleistocene Era, which ended about 10,000 years ago. By 1940, that range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of Southern California, and in 1967 condors were added to the first federal list of endangered species. In 1987, the 17 condors remaining in the wild were brought into captivity and a captive-breeding program was developed.

For more information about the Oregon Zoo's California condors, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/index.htm.

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Polar bears in the Arctic are being impacted by climate change. The ice they depend on for hunting is retreating sooner in the spring and arriving later in the fall, putting the entire species in jeopardy. Photos by ZooTeen Kourtney Kuiper, courtesy Oregon Zoo. © Oregon Zoo

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Scientists overwhelming agree: Global warming is already affecting animals ranging from polar bears to butterflies -- and if greenhouse gas emissions remain uncurbed, the consequences for our planet will be devastating. Oregon State University's Peter U. Clark discusses climate change Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m., starting off the Oregon Zoo's 2007 Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series.

Climate models suggest that warming over the past few decades can only be explained by the known increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, notes Clark, a professor in OSU's department of geosciences.

Clark's areas of expertise include glacial geology and paleoclimatology, and his lecture, "Climate Change Present, Past and Future: What We Have Learned About What to Expect," describes the causes and effects of global warming.

"Human activities are causing the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to increase to levels the earth has not experienced in tens of millions of years," says Clark. "What is particularly unusual about the current trend is the rate of increase, which may be nearly unique in earth history. This increase is causing the earth to warm through the well-known greenhouse effect."

During his lecture, Clark gives examples from the earth's more recent history that reveal some surprising ways in which our future climate may respond to this century's extraordinary "greenhouse forcing."

"Projected future increases of greenhouse gases will cause significant climate change by the end of the 21st century, with widespread effects that will last for millennia," he says.

According to Clark, climate change will impact glaciers and ice sheets, global sea level, species distribution and extinctions, and the frequency and intensity of droughts, heat waves and possibly hurricanes.

The Wildlife Conservation Lecture series is sponsored by Pro Photo Supply, Shiels Obletz Johnsen and New Belgium Brewing. Lectures are held in the Oregon Zoo's Banquet Center and begin at 7 p.m. The cost for each lecture is $10 for nonmembers and $8 for members of host organizations, students or seniors.

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January 8, 2007
POPULAR ZOOLIGHTS HELPS OREGON ZOO TO RECORD-BREAKING 2006

Rio the ocelot kitten made his debut in December. Here he is seen during his first health check-up. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy Oregon Zoo. © Oregon Zoo

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Zoo broke its all-time calendar-year record in 2006, with 1,447,116 visitors -- the highest attendance in the zoo's 120-year history. This is a 7 percent increase over the previous record, set in 2004, when the zoo attracted 1,350,952 visitors.

A record number of ZooLights visitors helped the zoo surpass its previous milestone. From Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, attendance for ZooLights alone reached 130,603. This trumped the previous year's ZooLights attendance by 44,849 visitors.

"Each year, more and more people make ZooLights one of their holiday traditions," says Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "We're always trying to make new and innovative additions to draw in first-time visitors, and bring back our loyal supporters."

Vecchio added that a number of new exhibits and special events, along with creative marketing and public relations, helped the zoo garner strong media coverage, which translated into more visitors.

The zoo had a strong spring with the opening of its Visayan warty pig exhibit in March and its "Zoo's Gone Wild" spring break activities. Summer was equally busy with the return of the Winged Wonders butterfly exhibit combined with the well-attended Wells Fargo Summer Concert Series. With the late-summer openings of two cat exhibits -- cougars and ocelots -- August was the zoo's busiest month, with 218,149 visitors.

Winter also brought media interest, with the December unveiling of the zoo's new ocelot kitten, Rio.

"Even before he was named, Rio was creating a great buzz," says Vecchio. "Our YouTube video of his first health check-up was our most popular video ever, with over 10,000 viewings."

After a record-breaking 2006, the zoo's director anticipates an even better year for 2007.

"We have big plans for 2007," says Vecchio. "Our Black Bear Ridge exhibit, featuring black bears and bobcats, opens this March. It's the final, $2-million piece for our stunning $36-million Great Northwest exhibit. In May, we'll bring Portland another charismatic pig, when babirusas join our Island Pigs of Asia exhibit. Our visitors will have a lot to see in the coming year."

The first time the zoo's attendance topped 1 million was during 1962, the year Packy was born. The baby pachyderm, born that April, helped draw 1,211,170 spectators from all over the Northwest, eager to see the first elephant born in the United States in 44 years. It wasn't until 1989 that the zoo broke the 1 million mark again. Since then, the zoo has welcomed more than a million guests in 15 of the past 18 years.

The Oregon Zoo continues to have the highest attendance of any fee-based tourist attraction in Oregon. Only Multnomah Falls, which does not charge an admission fee, has more annual visitors.

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