Portland animal-rights activists got a shout-out from Hollywood Friday morning in their longstanding effort to persuade Oregon Zoo officials to retire its elephants – Packy in particular – to a sanctuary.
The group Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants persuaded comedian Lily Tomlin, a longtime activist herself, to write to Kim Smith, zoo director, and to Metro, which operates the zoo. Tomlin implored them to "free" Packy.
"For 51 years," she wrote, "Packy has entertained the people of Oregon. Now, it is time for him to retire to an appropriate sanctuary, where he can roam freely on many acres of land."
Tomlin wrote that "the zoo initiated a bond measure in 2008 to create an offsite multi-acre preserve for the elephants. The voters overwhelmingly supported the measure. This preserve was meant to be used as a retirement home for the elephants. I urge you to maintain that original mission ."
However, the bond measure's language did not promise to build a preserve. At the time, zoo officials promised that some money from the $125 million bond would be used for a feasibility study for a potential off-site elephant center, which would allow the zoo to continue to grow its eight-member herd and give the animals more room. About 350 acres at the site of former Roslyn Lake near Sandy and other sites are being studied.
The zoo's eight elephants are arguably it's most popular attraction. Packy's birthday party in April always draws a crowd and attendance got a shot in the arm in recent years after the birth of two elephant calves, Samudra and, coincidentally, Lily.
The zoo has more than 42,000 member households. More than 1.6 million visitors streamed through the gates in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
In June, the zoo broke ground on another bond-funded project: Elephant Lands, a $53 million, 6.25-acre elephant exhibit, expected to open in 2015.
Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants, formed about a year and a half ago, has about 30 active members, according to spokeswoman Courtney Scott. Her group and another activist organization, In Defense of Animals, plan a demonstration outside the zoo gates from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to call attention to what they believe are inadequate living conditions for the elephants.
