2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

Sometimes the animals do get bored, just like some people get bored.  Most of the time they are givin something to do, like finding food in hidden places.  Some are just givin something to open or tear up.  This is call Enrichment.  Most of the zoo's have found that giving the animals something to do insures their survival and keeps them from being bored.  Most of the animals that you see in the zoo now probably never lived in the wild.  The zoo have breeding programs that keep wild animals were they belong, and we learn what the wild ones need from the ones we have.  Sorry you don't like to go to the zoo, but if you decided to return you may see what I mean.

posted 2 years, 3 months ago
view in context

you  just call them "Baby elephants".  Just that simple

posted 2 years, 3 months ago
view in context

Yes.  I remember what a big deal it was.  Thousands of people were there to see the guy.

I started being a volunteer in 1976.  I noticed several things going on around the zoo.

First, the mothers were taking care of their offspring ( which was of course a big deal).  The zoo was changing it's look too.  The zoo wanted to be animal friendly.  It wanted the public to know that it cared about it's animals, and the exhibits changed to accomodate that.  More and more exhibits became easier for the animals to live in.  It started to look more like the habitat that the animal originate from.  The zoo itself didn't grow in size...but it grew in environmental  production .  More and more animals are breeding and living longer. 

The zoo is now the best breeders for Asian Elephants .  Packy has been the best ambassador for Asian male elephants that anyone knows  of. i  have seen Packy close up and know of his power.

The oregon Zoo is probably the best example of Wildlife and habitat conservation in the western US.  And it will keep growing.

I have been a volunteer for about 35 years, and I will keep being a volunteer just because of the Oregon Zoo.

posted 2 years, 3 months ago
view in context