Just got back from a weekend trip to the Oregon Zoo. Must say I was quite impressed. I loved many elements of their Great Northwest exhibit. I really enjoy it when zoos interpret native wildlife. And apart from black bear and cougar exhibits that were heavy on construction and light on immersion, the whole area is quite pleasant. I saw Chendra the "Borneo pygmy elephant" they really do have long tails and short trunks. I was also really impressed by the Steller Cove exhibit. Those Steller sea lions are massive and displayed very well.
@Ituri: the Great Northwest and Steller Cove exhibits are quite well done, and I agree with your highlights of the zoo. Last week an aging wolf died, so you would probably have seen the solitary wolf (also quite old) near the elk paddock. How has the construction progressed on the "Red Ape Reserve" that will feature gibbons and orangutans? I believe that it opens in another 6 weeks or so. Also, next year's "Serengeti" exhibit must have broken ground.
Yes, I did wonder where the other wolf was. The Red Ape Reserve construction was kind of hard to figure just what they were doing where, but it hardly looked very close to finished. The Predators of the Serengeti construction really hasn't seemed to begun yet. The Alaska Tundra building and exhibits still seemed intact, in fact their was still a grizzly bear in the exhibit back there. (The musk ox were gone though)
Perhaps the orang/gibbon exhibit isn't opening until June or July, but it is definitely due to be ready by summer. I would have thought that the May long weekend would have been the perfect time to launch the grand opening. A female 12 year-old wolf was euthanized last August, and then a 13 year-old wolf was euthanized last week. On the zoo's website they state that the remaining 13 year-old is having problems with mobility, and therefore I can see that last wolf dying shortly. It's a pity as the zoo recently shifted the wolves into a slightly larger enclosure by the elk meadow. Perhaps they will start up another small pack?
Cramped zoo seeks cash for critter space- OregonLive.com Huge news from the Oregon Zoo, as the director Tony Vecchio is proposing a $117 million committment to a set of new exhibits between now and 2016. What is interesting is that the zoo just recently completed a $30 million "Great Northwest" set of enclosures, and has recently opened 6 new exhibits in the past 2 years. This summer they are expanding their orangutan exhibit and adding gibbons, and next summer the $5 million "Predators of the Serengeti" set of enclosures is due to open. The proposals from the zoo: $31.5 million for the Asian elephant exhibit, as the potential expansion would increase the size to 6 acres. I applaud this idea, as I've been one of the more vocal members of ZooBeat in bashing the meager size of the current exhibit. Currently there are 6 elephants (and one is due to give birth later this year) on only 2 acres. $22.2 million for an expanded chimpanzee/monkey set of exhibits. Tony Vecchio calls the current chimp enclosure "an embarrassment", and it is definitely one of the saddest looking exhibits in the zoo. Another potentially terrific idea. $11.6 million for an expansion to the polar bear exhibit. Apparently the bears have been pacing and showing signs of stereotypic behaviour, and the concrete that they pace on gets extremely hot in summer. Water filtration systems for hippos and penguins, and a new veterinary hospital are also on the list of priorities. I was hoping that the sun bears would also receive a new enclousure, as their bear pit is abominable. Anyway, time will tell if all of these proposals will actually be implemented. The Oregon Zoo has certainly been heading in the right direction for the past decade, and with a healthy 1.5 million visitors every year it's obvious that they have the backing of the local community.
I believe that blind elephant seal died a few year ago. As for the new bond measure, my question is what will come first. I'm thinking the vet hosptial and maintenance will come first. But which animal improvement would be done first. Their expecting an elephant calf, but I bet the primate house is in worse condition. As for the sun bears, I realize that the primate house is slowly being renovated into a tropical rainforest building. With an existing African Forest area, maybe there will be room for sun bears to be part of this renovated complex. The oregon zoo seems to always have had great community support, no doubt the bond will pass.
The blind elephant seal has indeed been dead for years. The Oregon Zoo's website has listed the "Fragile Forest" as being constructed in 2010, and that is under their listing of future developments. Their chimpanzees are all extremely old and slow in their crappy cages, and so I'd be shocked if they didn't turn their exhibit into something spectacular and then import some younger apes. The bond will surely pass, as the zoo has been breaking attendance records for the past few years. The vote is in November...
Metro Council OKs bond measure to overhaul Oregon Zoo- OregonLive.com So now Metro Council has approved the bond, and voters will determine if it proceeds in a November vote. The grand total has now been bumped up slightly, to $125 million, and should significantly transform the Oregon Zoo.
Zoo bear euthanized - KOIN.com It's somewhat ironic that since the Oregon Zoo announced the decision to dismantle the "Alaskan Tundra" section of the zoo two out of three wolves have died, and now the elderly grizzly has been euthanized. There was talk of transporting some of the animals to other zoos, but since the remaining wolf is also extremely old there is a greater chance of them all dying out first! Next summer's "Predators of the Serengeti" set of exhibits is the replacement area.
OREGON'S ELEPHANTS- OregonLive.com Interesting article in today's "Oregonian" newspaper, which calls the elephant exhibit an "outdated disgrace". Zoo Director Tony Vecchio hints that if the proposed November vote on the zoo bond doesn't get the green light then perhaps the zoo will have to be like many others and "get out of the elephant business". I'm confident that the citizens of Oregon will give the zoo the go-ahead for the approximately $120 million worth of renovations, including enlarging the elephant exhibit to 6 acres and potentially establishing an off-site elephant facility as well. Anything is better than the painfully small and barren conditions that the elephants currently live in. At least the zoo has a forthright director in Vecchio, who recently called the chimpanzee cage an "abomination". Not many zoo directors would be that blunt.
Here's a link to a page on the zoo's website with some general information about the zoo's new bond issues and next campaign for renovation of the zoo. About the Oregon Zoo
Thanks for the link okapikpr. After visiting and reviewing the Oregon Zoo just two weeks ago I felt that there were many changes that were needed as the 50 year-old structures on the zoo grounds desperately require upgrading. Having 7 elephants on 1.5 acres is ridiculous, and the acreage that they do have isn't even any good. An expansion to 6 acres, along with a brand new barn, will be fantastic news for the zoo's pachyderms. The $125 million will be mainly spent on things that the general public won't even notice. Of course the elephant exhibit will be considerably improved, and the chimpanzee exhibit is going to be upgraded (worst chimp exhibit in North America?) but the hippo pool and penguinarium water changes will only ever be noticed by keenly observant zoo fans. The polar bear concrete bowl is dreadful, and the fact that the temperature can hit 100 degrees in the summer makes this probably one of the worst polar bear exhibits in North America. All gray concrete and poor viewing opportunities for visitors, but I'm disappointed that there is only going to be a renovation of the enclosure. I would have rather seen the zoo spend the millions on tearing the thing down and erecting something else in its place.
I received the regular email from the Oregon Zoo a few days ago, and it said that the mother and son are doing perfectly fine and that the baby is progressing nicely. I know that I've often bashed the zoo for what I perceive to be a poor elephant paddock, but the breeding success there is unbeatable in North America and it's great to hear that the crappy exhibit might be expanded to quadruple its current size.
