Oregon Zoo Oregon Zoo news 2024

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wild boar

Well-Known Member
A 380,000,000 dollar measure has been approved for a local election ballot in May. Hopefully this passes and they can diversify the collection a little bit more.

"'The penguin exhibit, the tiger area, that whole vicinity is really outdated and we’re going to be able to take that down and reinvest with updated habitats,' said Oregon Zoo Director Heidi Rahn. 'We’ll expand our sea otter habitat because we’re doing a lot with sea otter conservation and recovery, and we’ll be able to bring in updated infrastructure for all of our marine animals. We’ll also focus on our giraffe area, and our Africa area will have a whole refresh.'"

Metro Council votes to put $380 million Oregon Zoo bond on May ballot
 
That's a staggering amount of money by any standards. Even if it gets the zoo through the next 12 to 15 years, as stated in the article, a LOT can be accomplished with almost $400 million U.S.

I'm really hopeful that the May 21st election has a positive outcome, because even with a loss of species in recent years, Oregon Zoo is a solid facility overall. If this bond is passed, then it would be able to overhaul its weakest areas and perhaps edge towards being an elite American zoo.
 
Here's a video that is interesting to watch, even though it rehashes the same information. The zoo will focus on new or expanded exhibits for penguins, tigers, sea otters and giraffes, as well as changes to the African zone. Voter approved bonds are huge opportunities for many American zoos to modernize their grounds, which is something that is not always an option for zoos in other nations. Taxpayers deciding where their money goes can be amazing for many zoological parks in the USA.

 
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It's great to hear that the Oregon Zoo plans to keep sea otters! The 2011 Capital Master Plan planned to eventually replace them and all of Steller Cove with a South American tapir/primate exhibit. Sea otters are such charismatic animals. It is possible that the species may even be reintroduced into Oregon one day Yes, sea otters can be reintroduced to Oregon coast, but it must be done carefully, report says.

Steller Cove was one of the highlights of my US zoo trip a few years ago. I consider it an underrated exhibit. It's so detailed and thematically connects well with the Great Northwest exhibits nearby and upslope. The main viewing window into the harbor seal exhibit (formerly housing Steller sea lions) is dramatic. Steller Cove also has a variety of marine species that help paint a more vivid picture of North American Pacific coasts. I would like to see the Oregon Zoo keep most of Steller Cove intact while increasing space for the sea otters and decreasing energy usage of the water systems.

Steller Cove - My First US Zoo Trip

Steller Cove - My First US Zoo Trip

  • Media owner DevinL
  • Date added
Steller Cove originally had Steller's sea lions, but is now exhibits harbor seals. The lighter...

I have been searching for news about this bond and haven't found any clear confirmation that they will build a new tiger exhibit. The only given I've read or heard is that the current tiger exhibit will be demolished. A new tiger exhibit was proposed north of and connected to the Red Ape Reserve in the 2011 Capital Master Plan. There are not many options at the Oregon Zoo site to put a new decent sized tiger exhibit. Still, I would be very surprised if they didn't go with a new tiger exhibit. Most of Oregon's recent exhibits have focused exclusively on large charismatic species, with the exception of the Insect Zoo and turtles in the Conservation Hall.
 
DevinL said:
Steller Cove was one of the highlights of my US zoo trip a few years ago. I consider it an underrated exhibit. It's so detailed and thematically connects well with the Great Northwest exhibits nearby and upslope. The main viewing window into the harbor seal exhibit (formerly housing Steller sea lions) is dramatic. Steller Cove also has a variety of marine species that help paint a more vivid picture of North American Pacific coasts. I would like to see the Oregon Zoo keep most of Steller Cove intact while increasing space for the sea otters and decreasing energy usage of the water systems.
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I like the Steller Cove complex also, but apparently the 30 year old exhibit has malfunctioning infrastructure that requires millions of dollars a year to keep running. It sounds like they would probably tear it down and build a new space for sea otters (and maybe pinnipeds?) rather than try and salvage the current crumbling exhibit.

Similarly they likely would tear down the current penguin space that has been refurbished multiple times since the 1950s and build a 21st century penguin exhibit instead.

I would be surprised if a new tiger complex with other Asian animals like red pandas is not part of the new plan, give their popularity.

A giraffe keeper acquaintance told me that the Oregon Zoo giraffe barn is completely outdated at almost 40 years old, so it seems likely a new giraffe exhibit is on the books too. I think the 2011 master plan called for it to be reimagined as a multi species savanna, which would be consistent with how other zoos are creating new 21st century giraffe spaces.
 
On December 14th, 2023, the zoo announced that (0.0.8) California condors hatched and (0.0.10) condors were released into the wild. The zoo also announced that they hatched (0.0.12) northwestern pond turtles, which were also released into the wild.

2023: The Year In Wildlife Wins | 2023: The Year In Wildlife Wins | By Oregon Zoo | Facebook

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On January 30th, the zoo announced that they hatched (0.0.7) California condors at their Jonsson Center for Wildlife in Oregon in spring 2022 which have since been released into the wild in December 2023.

Up up and away! Zoo-reared condors take flight in California
Nile Hippo Expert said:
As mentioned by @IndianRhino in the population thread, the calf is a boy.
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On February 23rd, the zoo announced the rhino's name, Tamu.

Endangered Baby Rhino Gets His Name | Jozi's baby has a name: Meet Tamu! It means “sweet” in Swahili | By Oregon Zoo | Facebook
Endangered rhino baby has a name: 'Tamu' is sweet as can be
 
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An editorial in The Oregonian is a really positive one for Oregon Zoo, as the author urges voters to approve the $380 million zoo bond in the upcoming May election. For many homeowners near the zoo, it would cost only an extra $23 annually for the next 30 years...but then they would be supporting a modern zoo with plenty of ABC species. Other nations often marvel at the fact that citizens in some American cities literally help support their local zoo via tax dollars.

Editorial endorsement May 2024: Give the Oregon Zoo a ‘yes’ on bond measure

Another article about the upcoming bond vote:

Portland-area voters will see new $380M zoo bond on May ballot.
 
wild boar said:
The 380,000,000 dollar bond appears to have passed, securing funding for new penguin, sea otter, and giraffe enclosures, amongst other projects. As of the time of this article's publishing, the measure was approved with 55 percent of the vote.

Metro bond for zoo improvements wins approval
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Fantastic news...but it was a tight call with 55% support. That's a heck of a lot of money to spend ($380 million) and most zoos can only dream about such financial riches.
 
snowleopard said:
Fantastic news...but it was a tight call with 55% support. That's a heck of a lot of money to spend ($380 million) and most zoos can only dream about such financial riches.
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I wouldn't be surprised if the publicly-known margin widens a bit as more vote totals are provided to the media, but I am nevertheless shocked by how close it is currently suggested to be. Washington County and Multnomah County are both very liberal areas, and Clackamas County is too, albeit to a lesser extent.
 
Piece of April 2024 News Not Mentioned:

On April 19th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (0.1) snowy owl to the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Pennsylvania.

Lehigh Valley Zoo

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On May 20th, the zoo announced they bred and released 381 Oregon silverspot butterfly larvae into the wild.

Zoo releases hundreds of rare butterflies into wild

On May 23rd, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.1) Linne's two-toed sloth named Berry from the Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey the week prior which is now on display in the Rainforest building, across from the slender-snouted crocodiles.

Oregon Zoo
Berry good news: Zoo welcomes two-toed sloth
 
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