Oregon Zoo has been transformed over the past 15 years, as there have been many major improvements. The "Great Northwest" section (all in green at the top) has basically been built from scratch and in stages from 1998 onwards, "Island Pigs of Asia" was added a few years ago, "Predators of the Serengeti" won the AZA award for best new exhibit in 2009 (tied with Woodland Park's Humboldt penguin habitat) and in 2010 "Red Ape Reserve" opened to the public. Future improvements, thanks to $120 million in bond money, include a proposed 6-acre Asian elephant complex and renovations to the 1980's polar bear enclosure.
I recently visited the zoo and the next major project is a veterinary hospital that will be around 15,000 square feet in size. Construction is well under way and the basic foundation seems to be almost complete, and it will be located just to the right of "Cougar Crossing" and above and to the left of "Elk Meadow".
Where will the expanded elephant area go? Will it take over the concert lawn area and/or the elephant museum and Pigs of Asia area?
The elephant exhibit plans on the Oregon Zoo website are too small to make out what the actual footprint of the exhibit will be. Does anyone know if the elephant museum is getting bulldozed as part of the new complex?
Where will the expanded elephant area go? Will it take over the concert lawn area and/or the elephant museum and Pigs of Asia area?
The elephant exhibit plans on the Oregon Zoo website are too small to make out what the actual footprint of the exhibit will be. Does anyone know if the elephant museum is getting bulldozed as part of the new complex?
If you go to this link and scroll down to the bottom you can download the masterplan. Once there if you go down to page 14 then the entire zoo map of the future can be viewed and enlarged at your discretion.
The concert lawn and stage will remain the same, and the "South Meander" of the 6-acre Asian elephant exhibit will extend almost all the way to Predators of the Serengeti. The "Elephant Meadow North Habitat" will be above where the current Pigs of Asia zone is located. The Elephant Museum might be maintained in the Forest Hall building but it is difficult to tell from the map as it is not marked.
