Sunday, March 25 (part two)
Upon entering
Oregon Zoo I stop under a covered pillar to pull out my camera and put on the rain cover. First exhibit area is Great Northwest with a nice mountainside featuring mountain goats. Education graphics explain that they were introduced into the nearby Cascade Mountains in the 1920's by sport hunters and are damaging the ecosystem. Bobcat is a no-show, black bear exhibit is a bizarre design, but bald eagle aviary is magnificent – the best I have seen. Initial viewing is from a top level boardwalk (I am inside the aviary with no barriers). It is built on a lush hillside with a pond at the bottom and when I get to the bottom I find underwater viewing with fish. Just brilliant. Cougar (puma) exhibit is average (and cats are sleeping on a hay pile) but I live near one of the two best puma exhibits so it's not a big deal. Condor exhibit is also average (not as good as San Diego Safari Park) but an interesting sign warns visitors of current carcass feeding.
Passing a small farmhouse I follow the main path and end up at the new Elephant Lands (Asian elephant exhibit). It is somewhat spacious and better than most, but the standard for Asian elephant exhibits is pretty low, so that's not hard to achieve. I don't love it and like most elephant exhibits the viewing is through thick cables (so photo ops are non-existent). It has a narrow and wide shape, with a main yard and pool in front, a North Meadow yard to the left (only apt if your definition of a meadow is mud), and a South Habitat to the right. All gates are open so the five elephants have access to all yards (and in fact use them all while I am watching).
An overhead bridge leads to the indoor yard and a more extensive set of graphics. I am particularly fascinated by the care instructions on a set of ivory billiard balls. They state that the balls should be left in the room they are to be used in for at least a week before use, to avoid cracking. They also advise against shipping the balls in winter. An ivory mahjong set is next to it.
Moving on, Amur tiger is not to be seen but grotto is only average anyway. Neighboring Amur leopard is on the prowl, meaning he is pacing in a large loop. The exhibit is lush and nicely designed, but too small. It is however pretty good for photography and I get shots of him walking towards me.
Predators of the Serengeti may be the highlight for me. It features lion, cheetah, painted dog, caracal (plus a couple of forgettable indoor exhibits). Viewing is good, overall layout is nice, and wild dogs are very active. The caracal exhibit is the best I have seen and would be the highlight of the day for me except the cats are not visible. I stay for quite a while and loop back at the end of the day and nada. My friend snowleopard says that with perhaps ten visits to this zoo he has only seen them once.
The Africa Trail is average with a couple large hoofstock yards and a pretty good exhibit for Allen's swamp monkeys and Kikuyu colobus monkeys. I head back to the entrance for lunch at the zoo's premier cafe, the Cascades Grill. I am a huge fan of nice zoo restaurants, especially those that please both architecturally and gastronomically. This one fits the bill, with a massive ceiling resembling a mountain lodge and a decent (but not outstanding) menu. I have clam chowder and a Caesar's salad with grilled chicken.
I now visit Pacific Shores with decent exhibits for sea otter and harbor seals, both of which are always active and crowd pleasers. The neighboring penguin exhibit draws me in for longer than I anticipate. I can understand why zoos are investing in them – penguins really are fun to watch (especially with underwater viewing). The circular building features three avian species: Humboldt penguins, gray gulls, inca terns. Another fruitless attempt at caracal and I rush through Primate Forest on my way out. Forest is a euphemism as this is by far the weakest area of the zoo. Overall I enjoy my visit. The Oregon Zoo is quite nice - not world class - but nice. If the caracals had been out I would undoubtedly have enjoyed the zoo more and rated it even higher. Leaving via the Great Northwest, I see the nocturnal ringtail actively searching for food that has just been set out.
