arrivals and departures

Zoo study seeks method for predicting elephant's due date

As Asian elephant Rose-Tu heads into her 21st month of pregnancy, anticipation is building at the Oregon Zoo. Some staffers have organized informal office pools to guess the date of the calf's arrival...

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Pachyderm Pending blog: It takes time to make an elephant

Nothing is quick or easy about elephant reproduction — at least, not for the mother to be. Elephant cows reach sexual maturity at age 11, their peak fertility occurs anytime between the ages of 25 and 45, and they typically give birth to a single calf once every four years...

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Oregon Zoo mobilizes as Rose-Tu pregnancy enters month 20

She's about 84 weeks pregnant, but Rose-Tu is still hitting the gym as hard as ever. Her daily workout routine includes wall climb, leg kicks, abdominal lifts, sand plows and, of course, plenty of stretching...

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Zoo will say goodbye to its beloved gray wolves

In August the wolves will be departing for the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari in Omaha, Neb. — part of the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium — as the Oregon Zoo prepares for work on a vastly expanded home for its Asian elephant herd...

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Summer nearly over for endangered Northwest turtles

After one of the rainiest Junes on record and a relatively cool July, Portlanders may feel like summer's just getting under way. But for seven western pond turtles reared at the Oregon Zoo, a nearly yearlong stretch of warm days and nights will soon be drawing to an end...

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Rose-Tu's pregnancy enters the home stretch

Let the countdown begin. Asian elephant Rose-Tu has reached the last stage of her pregnancy, according to Oregon Zoo animal-care staff, leaving behind what in human terms would be considered the "golden" second trimester and marching trunk-first into the home stretch...

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New species hides while visitors seek

With big, goggly eyes and long, bushy tails, two of the Oregon Zoo's newest residents are a sight to see – if you are lucky...

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Keeper tends to young bear cub removed from woods

"Michelle, we need your help." So began a conversation that Michelle Schireman, an Oregon Zoo keeper known for taking in orphaned cougar cubs, realized would upend her life, both professionally and personally, for a while...

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Zoo welcomes 17-foot-tall out-of-town guest

The Oregon Zoo welcomed a new, and very tall, addition to its Africa Savanna habitat last week: Riley, a 17-foot-tall giraffe from Utah's Hogle Zoo. Visitors can see Riley in the zoo's Africa Savanna habitat starting today...

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Hopeful ending to a cougar cub's rough first months

An orphaned cougar cub with a penchant for meatballs has moved to a new home after receiving medical care at the Oregon Zoo's veterinary hospital...

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Oregon Zoo

arrivals and departures