Murmurs Oregon Zoo officials are trying to explain away their misleading and false statements after the embarrassing news the zoo’s new baby elephant actually belongs to a California traveling elephant    More

News The Oregon Zoo is promising to keep its newest elephant after embarrassing revelations by The Seattle Times that the zoo had long ago traded away rights to Rose-Tu's newborn calf to a traveling elephant show.Officials held a press conference this morning to respond to the Times' story, which cites a 2005 contract between the zoo and Have Trunk Will Travel. In the agreement, the zoo agreed to breed ...   More

News Have Trunk Will Travel, the real owner of the Oregon Zoo's new baby elephant, has faced accusations from Animal Defenders International that it has repeatedly abused its animals.ADI last year posted a video that allegedly shows a trainer for the traveling elephant troupe using an electric prod to deal with one of its animals. The video also shows trainers repeatedly striking the animals with a stick. ...   More

News  The Seattle Times' investigation of elephant breeding practices at zoos has uncovered a bombshell: The Oregon Zoo signed a contract that gives ownership of elephant Rose-Tu's newborn calf to a California-based traveling show that rents out elephants for weddings and movie shoots.Times reporter Michael J. Berens writes that the female calf born to Rose-Tu on Nov. 30 is the property of "a controversial ...   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

News  Go ahead! Nothing to be ashamed of! It's Friday! Your boss will understand! All photographs by Michael Durham and courtesy of the Oregon Zoo, which is celebrating Rose-Tu's 300-pound baby girl.Rose-Tu and her daughter at the Oregon Zoo. The public will be asked to help pick a name for Rose-Tu's baby after zoo officials make a list. The baby elephant was born at 2:17 this morning.You want video? ...   More

Headout The penguins have come home to roost at the Oregon Zoo. After two years of shivering next to the polar bear exhibit (“They could definitely hear the bears through the walls,” says birdkeeper M   More

News The Oregon Zoo has a national reputation for its success at breeding Asian elephants and California condors. Zoo curator Chris Pfefferkorn has an additional responsibility that gets far less attention: preventing chimpanzees, lions, gazelles and giraffes from procreating.  While there is a national shortage of elephants and condors, there is an abundance of other zoo animals and limited room to ...   More

News Two top officials at the Oregon Zoo stepped down abruptly last Friday, just days ahead of what is expected to be a negative audit of the zoo's management of capital construction projects. Metro spokesman Jim Middaugh confirmed today that the second ranking zoo manager, deputy director Carmen Hannold, who was in charge of maintenance and guest services, is no longer employed by the zoo. And neither ...   More

News Pam Knowles of the Portland School Board just started a new gig as the Oregon Zoo Foundation's managing director. Knowles announced in September her plans to leave the Portland Business Alliance, where she was chief operating officer and general counsel for five years. Separate from the foundation, the Oregon Zoo has recently faced troubles related to the management of capital construction ...   More