News Packy, the Oregon Zoo's iconic Asian elephant, turns 51 this Sunday. That's a milestone of middle age that could make anybody gloomy.But Packy's blues may go deeper than that.A vocal contingent has argued for years that Packy, the first elephant born in captivity in the modern era, is wildly unhappy. They cite his chronic foot problems and compulsive head-bobbing. When it sought a $125 million bond ...   More

News Not so fast with the elephant birthday party. Two days after Asian elephant Rose-Tu gave birth to a 300-pound baby girl at the Oregon Zoo—the third elephant born in captivity nationwide this year—The Seattle Times unleashed a devastating two-part investigative series charging that elephants are dying out in zoos, despite a coordinated strategy of aggressive breeding and crisis-management public ...   More