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The five new Humboldt penguin chicks that hatched at the Oregon Zoo this spring have begun to emerge from their nest boxes and explore their surroundings, keepers say. The young penguins are easy to identify: they are gray all over and lack the black-and-white markings of adult Humboldts — notably the distinctive horseshoe-shaped band in the chest area.

Golden shovels were on hand, but the Oregon Zoo broke ground today elephant-style: with a 30-ton excavator. Construction of the 6.25-acre Elephant Lands habitat — the most ambitious project in Oregon Zoo history — officially kicked off with massive displacement of earth, making way for the Asian elephant herd's new home and a new era of animal welfare.

On May 13, the Audubon Society of Portland's Wildlife Care Center received a call about a bald eagle that seemed unable to fly. Care center operations manager Lacy Campbell headed to the site in Longview, Wash., fording a creek to bring the 3-foot-tall bird back to Audubon, where a blood test revealed it to be suffering from severe lead poisoning. The eagle is not only in treatment now at Audubon, but is also contributing to research that may help protect other wildlife from lead.

Rama, a 30-year-old Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo, has tested positive for tuberculosis, zoo officials learned yesterday. The zoo routinely tests all its elephants for TB by taking an annual trunk culture (collecting fluid from the animal's trunk and sending it to a certified laboratory for testing) as part of its comprehensive health program and in compliance with U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.