Radgirl's Portland Playground

Packy approaches a wading pool in the south habitat of elephant lands.  Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo Packy, who made headlines during the Kennedy era as the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years, was humanely euthanized at the Oregon Zoo today. At nearly 55, he was the oldest male of his species in North America. “We loved Packy so much,” said Bob Lee, who oversees the zoo elephant program and worked with Packy for the past 17 years. “He was my favorite — the most impressive animal I’ve ever known. It’s hard to think about coming in to work tomorrow and not seeing him. There will never be another like him.” The decision to euthanize came following a lengthy search for alternative treatment options after  test results last fall  indicated Packy was suffering from a drug-resistant strain of TB. “We’d run out of options for treating him,” said Dr. Tim Storms, the zoo’s lead veterinarian. “The remaining treatments in...

Pachyderms pumpkin pummeling.    The Oregon Zoo's annual Squishing of the Squash, in which some of the world's largest land animals demolish some of the area's largest pumpkins, will be held Friday, Oct. 28, at 10:30 a.m. The Squishing of the Squash is a precursor to the zoo's Howloween celebration. Events on Saturday and Sunday include a fun scavenger hunt that directs trick-or-treaters to easily accessible activity stations throughout the zoo where they can collect candy and prizes. Throughout the weekend, visitors can also watch the zoo's enrichment team and keepers provide animals with pumpkins and other holiday-themed treats. The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its Asian elephant program, which has spanned more than 60 years. Considered highly endangered in their range countries, Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans and disease. It is estimated that just 40,000 to 50,000 elephants remain in fragmented pop...

Willard Martin’s mosaic “The Continuity of Life Forms,” seen here at the zoo entrance circa 1968, was reinstalled last month at the zoo’s new education center. Photo by Anne Breeze, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo . After nearly 20 years spent languishing in obscurity, a classic Portland artwork is set to return to the public eye. “The Continuity of Life Forms” — a huge midcentury-modern mosaic by renowned Portland architect and artist Willard Martin — was reinstalled at the Oregon Zoo last month at a site near the old zoo entrance, where the iconic piece stood for more than 50 years. “This is a way of preserving the legacy of a local hero in addition to preserving part of the zoo’s history,” says Brent Shelby, one of the zoo’s project managers. “There will be a lot of nostalgia for those who visited the zoo prior to the late 1990s.” Originally installed at the entrance when the zoo moved to its current location in 1959, the striking mosaic greeted visitors for 40 years, be...