Press Kits

Press Releases

Dates indicate date of press release; not the date of the event.

January 2011

January 26 — Montana bear, orphaned as cub, finds new home at Oregon Zoo
January 26 — Oregon Zoo Acquires Male Amur Leopard Named Borris
January 24 — Zoo to Punxsutawney Phil: You Ain't Nothin' but a Groundhog!
January 21 — Oregon Zoo Attendance Reaches All-Time High ... Again
January 19 — Zoo Visitors Give Generously on MLK Holiday
January 10 — Oregon Zoo Offers Free Admission on MLK Holiday
January 7 — Zoo Announces Green Resolutions for 2011
January 6 — A Trunkful of Memories: Zoo Celebrates Big Year for Elephants

January 10, 2011
Oregon Zoo Offers Free Admission On MLK Holiday
Visitors encouraged to bring donations of food or clothing

Oregon Zoo visitors can check out the dwarf mongoose on exhibit in Predators of the Serengeti on Monday, Jan. 17. The zoo is offering free admission as a service to the community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Photo by Michael Durham © Oregon Zoo.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Zoo is offering free admission Jan. 17, celebrating the spirit of public service associated with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"It is the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a perfect opportunity for the zoo to provide this service to our community," said Kim Smith, zoo director.

The federal holiday was first observed in 1986. In 1994, Congress designated it as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. According to the CNCS website, the day of service "empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a beloved community."

Although not required for admission, zoo visitors are encouraged to bring donations of food or gently-used clothing to benefit SnowCap and Transition Projects. Donation barrels will be available at the zoo entrance.

"We hope our visitors will follow Dr. King's example of giving to the community," Smith said. "A few cans of food or a donation of clothing can provide a much-needed service to the less fortunate in our community."

According to SnowCap, the metro region's high unemployment rate has driven record numbers of people to their organization in search of food to feed their families. Last month they fed nearly 11,000 people.

"Oregon is number two in per capita homelessness, and we have seen a steady rise in homelessness and people at-risk of homelessness," said Executive Director of Transition Projects, Doreen Binder. "We help people move from homelessness to housing by providing for basic needs such, as hygiene and clothing, and help people end their homelessness by helping them gain and maintain housing."

From polar bears in the frigid Arctic to elephants in the forests of Asia, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day visitors can see animals from around the world in an afternoon at their zoo. Visitors can trek through the tropics amid the sounds of birds and monkeys. They can travel through the African savanna, where giraffes, zebras, hippos and rhinos graze before traveling to the Serengeti to view lions and wild dogs. They can visit the penguins of Peru and come nose to nose with the bald eagles, black bears and cougars of the Great Northwest. They can even visit the charismatic animals of Asia such as Amur tigers, Malayan sun bears, and warty and babirusa pigs.

"We strive to make the zoo accessible to the entire community," Smith said. "Through special promotions and our monthly Second Tuesday discounts, we want to make sure as many people as possible have the chance to visit."

January 7, 2011
OREGON ZOO ANNOUNCES GREEN RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011
From keepers to cooks, staff members offer ideas for making the zoo greener

Humboldt penguins enjoy their temporary home in the polar bear exhibit while the Oregon Zoo's Penguinarium undergoes renovations. The zoo recently announced its "green resolutions" for 2011 -- among them, completing a new filtration system that will reduce water usage at the penguin exhibit by 80 percent. Photo by Deidre Lantz, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Statistics show it's easier to keep a New Year's resolution if you go public with the plan and invite accountability. With that in mind, the Oregon Zoo announces its "green resolutions" for 2011 and invites people to follow its progress throughout the year on the zoo's website.

"We're committed to the conservation of natural resources and environmental sustainability," said Kim Smith, zoo director. "By publishing our resolutions, we make it possible for the public to hold us accountable and help us stay on track."

Each year, the zoo's Green Team assembles new resolutions with suggestions from staff members. The Green Team is a committee comprised of employees and volunteers representing many of the zoo's departments with the goal of making the zoo an environmental ambassador. The group meets monthly to explore new ways of taking the zoo's green operations to a higher level and keeping the zoo on the cutting edge of green technologies.

Here are the zoo's 2011 green resolutions:

Toxics Reduction

Reduce toxins in the workplace by finding alternatives to chemicals with a high toxicity rating.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Install light sensors in office and other work areas to avoid having lights on when they're not needed.
Install programmable thermostats set at appropriate levels in maintenance shops and other areas that do not have them.
Commission Veterinary Hospital to LEED Silver level or above.
Install and implement the use of utility-monitoring software.
Increase use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel (B50 in the winter, B100 when possible).
Partner with Energy Trust of Oregon on a zoo-wide audit of HVAC systems and appliances to prioritize needed upgrades.

Water Conservation

Complete construction of the penguin filtration system to achieve an 80 percent reduction in annual water use.
Investigate and repair leaks in our interior water main system, which may yield a 10 percent drop in current water use.
Install a new valve in the zoo's water main (a necessary step in the zoo's long-range plan to capture rainfall for use in flushing toilets and hosing animal areas).

Habitat Conservation

Complete the removal of invasive English ivy from trees along the railroad tracks between the zoo and Washington Park.
Launch a zoo-wide palm oil awareness campaign.

January 6, 2011
A TRUNKFUL OF MEMORIES: ZOO CELEBRATES BIG YEAR FOR ELEPHANTS
Oregon Zoo's young Samudra energizes elephant herd, inspires public

Samudra, the 2-year-old Asian elephant, celebrates his birthday at the Oregon Zoo with a delicious ice cake and other treats. © Photo by Kevin Brown, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

PORTLAND, Ore. — It's been a big year for Oregon Zoo elephants — even the smallest among them. Samudra, the zoo's 2-year-old, 2,380-pound "baby," continued to grow and mature throughout 2010, inspiring both zoo visitors and the rest of the elephant herd, and making a weighty contribution toward the zoo's renowned Asian elephant program.

"Our elephant program has continued to thrive over the past year," said Kim Smith, zoo director. "It is exciting to watch Sam develop. He really has a playful personality."

The "little guy" has been getting pretty big, and in July he hit another milestone — 2,000 pounds — inspiring zoo staff and visitors to join in a rousing chorus of "One-Ton Samudra." (Watch the fun video at http://bit.ly/gUf4Mw .) He enjoys playing in the yard and works well with keepers during his morning routine, during which he's given hay, bathed and brushed before walking around the exercise yard. He also receives weekly health checkups to ensure steady growth and wellness.

Along with Sam's development and training, zookeepers have continued the successful elephant exercise regimen that helps keep all the animals fit and healthy. Keepers say the program has greatly benefitted Rose-Tu these past two years, allowing her to stay physically fit following her pregnancy in 2008.

In August, hundreds of Samudra fans donned paper elephant ears and gathered in Elephant Plaza to celebrate Sam's second birthday. The playful 2-year-old received some snow to frolic in and enjoyed an elephant-sized cake concocted by zoo executive chef Paul Warner. Watch a video previewing some of the birthday activities.

Other 2010 highlights from the zoo's renowned elephant program included:

The zoo's innovative Future for Wildlife grant program helped fund the Elephant Conservation Unit internship program in Sabah, Malaysia. The zoo provided $4,800 to the program in 2010, helping it protect Asian elephants and their habitat.
The March/April 2010 edition of Zoo Biology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, featured a landmark paper co-written by three Oregon Zoo elephant experts: conservation research associate Karen Lewis, conservation scientist Dr. David Shepherdson, and Mike Keele, who was then the zoo's deputy director. "A Survey of Elephant Husbandry and Foot Health in North American Zoos" is based on a survey of 78 elephant-holding institutions conducted by Lewis for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The study includes strong evidence supporting the benefits of exercise programs for zoo elephants and the efficacy of AZA standards for elephant management and care.
Meanwhile, another Zoo Biology article, which Keele had co-authored the previous year, won an award. "Social Factors Influence Ovarian Acyclicity in Captive African Elephants," printed in the January-February 2009 issue, was named the journal's Best Published Paper for the year.
In May, Keele assumed a new role at the zoo: director of elephant habitats. Since then he has been working to ensure that the zoo's new elephant facilities, made possible by the 2008 zoo bond measure passed by local voters, will truly be world-class, providing optimal living environments that will contribute to the animals' well-being. Keele, one of the leading Asian elephant experts in North America, also stepped down from his longtime post as chair the AZA's Asian elephant Species Survival Plan in order to concentrate on his new position. He continues to author the Asian elephant "studbook," which tracks the reproductive status of every elephant in AZA facilities (a new edition was produced in October).
In October, Keele and zoo director Kim Smith attended the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in Germany and went on a fact-finding mission, touring state-of-the-art elephant facilities at renowned European zoos in Cologne, Leipzig and Copenhagen to gather ideas, research best practices and draw up "wish lists" for the Oregon Zoo's new elephant habitat.
Rama, the zoo's famous painting elephant, continued his collaboration with keeper Jeb Barsh and artist Calley O'Neill on "Ambassador for the Endangered Ones," an exhibit that will tour internationally starting in fall 2012. The project, dedicated to the preservation of endangered species and their habitats, is focused on "bringing together art, ecology and awareness." (For more information, visit www.theramaexhibition.org.) In addition, Rama's solo works proved more popular than ever. The zoo sold more than 170 of his paintings in 2010 for a total of nearly $16,000. Proceeds support zoo conservation efforts and animal enrichment activities. To learn more about Oregon's "biggest" artist, visit www.oregonzoo.org/Rama.
This month, the Oregon Zoo and six partner institutions began an unprecedented three-year study aimed at producing scientific data to help determine best practices in elephant management. The study, titled "Using Science to Understand Elephant Welfare," is being coordinated by the Honolulu Zoo Society and is funded by an $800,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It will involve the entire population of 290 elephants housed in AZA-accredited zoos -- including the Oregon Zoo's famous Asian elephant herd. Benchmarks produced by this study are expected to affect future accreditation standards for AZA elephant-holding facilities, furthering advances in elephant care and facility design.

The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its successful breeding program for endangered Asian elephants, which has spanned nearly five decades. More than 25 elephants have been born at the zoo.