Nora’s half-sister Amelia Gray moves in at the Oregon Zoo’s new Polar Passage Amelia Gray, a 5-year-old polar bear from the Maryland Zoo, has arrived in town, and is settling in at the Oregon Zoo’s new Polar Passage habitat, where caregivers eventually plan to introduce her to her half-sister Nora. “Even though they’re siblings just a year […]
The Oregon Zoo’s winter light display is back with two ways to illuminate the season PORTLAND, Ore. — A Northwest holiday tradition is back! ZooLights, presented by U.S. Bank, opens Nov. 22 at the Oregon Zoo, showcasing a winter wonderland of more than 1.5 million brightly colored lights. This year, there are two ways to illuminate […]
Asian elephant family takes part in the Oregon Zoo’s annual Squishing of the Squash Some of the world’s largest land animals demolished some of the area’s largest pumpkins today, during the Oregon Zoo’s 23rd annual Squishing of the Squash. With physical distancing requirements and restrictions on large gatherings in place, the zoo wasn’t able to […]
Zoo-reared northern leopard frogs are released at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Hundreds of northern leopard frogs reared at the Oregon Zoo are hopping back into the wild this month, thanks to a collaborative effort to save one of the last remaining Northwest populations of this imperiled amphibian. The froglets, which hatched from eggs collected by […]
Conservationists transport Oregon silverspot caterpillars to slopes of the coast range PORTLAND, Ore. — With forecasts calling for another hot week ahead, hundreds of the Oregon Zoo’s tiniest residents are heading for the coast. Over the warmest days of summer, zoo butterfly specialists and their conservation partners have been releasing Oregon silverspots at select sites […]
Playful pup is recovering at the zoo’s vet center after a rough start to life in the wild PORTLAND, Ore. — A playful 10-week-old river otter pup has taken up residence at the Oregon Zoo this summer after being orphaned along a roadside in Deer Island, Ore., last month. The young otter was found June 3 […]
Keeper talks, train ride, Insect Zoo are back — plus new evening hours on weekends As people begin returning to their favorite pre-pandemic pastimes, the Oregon Zoo is ready, with longer hours and a host of seasonal activities. On Fridays and Saturdays, guests can come late and spend an idyllic summer evening at the zoo. […]
Program aims to bolster threatened populations of rare Oregon Silverspot butterfly It’s Pollinator Week, and at the Oregon Zoo’s butterfly conservation lab, nap time is over for hundreds of the zoo’s tiniest residents. Zoo conservationists are rousing more than 500 Oregon Silverspot larvae from their winter dormancy this month, transferring the very hungry caterpillars into […]
Scientists are seeking Yamhill County water bodies for pond turtle survey Yamhill County property owners are being asked to help search for a rare Pacific Northwest native reptile: the northwestern pond turtle, also known as the western pond turtle. Funded in part by a grant from the Oregon Zoo Foundation, the Northwest Ecological Research Institute […]
Innovative youth program is working to create tomorrow’s conservation leaders The Oregon Zoo is inviting guests to “spring into action” with a new seek-and-find activity with a seasonal theme. The activity, created by teens in the Zoo Animal Presenter program and presented by First Tech Federal Credit Union, can be downloaded at oregonzoo.org/find. “Family-friendly scavenger […]