Introduction to the Porland, Oregon Zoo

The Portland, Oregon Zoo, is where we are are headed today on our field trip. This zoo has been around since 1887 and is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi. A man by the name of Richard Knight was the creator of this 64 acre zoo, and made it home to about 1,029 animals from all over the world. This zoo features habitats from Africa, Antarctica, the Great Northwest, Asia, and even the Rain Forest. During our field trip we will see all of these places plus many more! Getting to experience the natural world is an important factor to the Portland Zoo so they have made a lot of different habitats with tons of animals. The picture you see here is a map of the zoo and we will be circling all around it starting with the Great Northwest. Lets get started!

The Great Northwest

Our first stop is the the Great Northwest exhibit. This exhibit has habitats ranging from the Cascade Mountains all the way to the Pacific Coast. We will see Cascade Crest, Cascade Canyon Trail, Trillium Creek Family Farm, and Elk Meadow. First the Cascade Crest, is a setting of the alpine meadows in the Cascade Mountains. There are mountain goats and a snow cave included to show how these animals live and grow in this habitat.
Next, we will go along the Cascade Canyon Trail which will lead us to plenty of exciting animals! The first animal on the trail is the Black Bear, which is shown in a picture above, top right. Here there are Black Bears walking around the forest, sleeping on rocks, and climbing up trees. Next on the trail is Eagle Canyon where we get to go through a wooden ravine and see the bald eagles flying around. A picture of an eagle is shown above, bottom right. Also in this same area there is a stream with salmon and aquatic reptiles and amphibians to show people the importance of having natural streams. The third animal on the Cascade Trail is the Cougar which is shown above, on the top left. This is where we get to see the cougars up close, eating, climbing, playing, and sleeping.
Now we will continue our journey to the Elk Meadow. This a big field with native plants and many elk roaming around. Here we will see the elks huge antlers and soft fur. Above, bottom left, is a picture of an elk at the zoo.

The Pacific Shores

The second stop on our field trip is the Pacific Shores Exhibit. It is broken up into Lorikeet Landing, the Penguins, and the Polar Bears.
First, we will make our way over to the Lorikeet Landing where many colorful parrots live. Here we are able to not only look at the birds but we can also touch them and feed them. The birds are held in an L-shaped aviary covered in large plants, a stream, and a lot of tree branches to sit on. A picture of these birds is shown above in the middle.
The Penguin exhibit is next. These Penguins are Humboldt Penguins and live in a habitat with 70 degree water and a rocky land which looks just like the one in Peru where they are from. Most Penguins live in a cold environment, but not these ones! These little 9 pound penguins love the warmth. This type of penguin is the most endangered of the penguins. Here we can see them walking around, jumping into the water for a quick swim, or eating their smelt or herring. This exhibit has been around since 1984 and has won a Significant Achievement Award. A picture of a penguin is shown above on the top.
The last stop in the Pacific Shores are the Polar Bears. This exhibit opened in 1986 and includes rocks resembling the ones from the Bear's homeland, Canada, and 50,ooo gallons of water in their pool. We get to see the bears play, eat, and swim while also getting the chance to look at them underwater through a glass separating us. There are two Polar Bears in this exhibit named, Conrad (male) and Tasul (female) and they are brother and sister. Males can get up to about 1400 pounds and the female can get up to around 600 pounds. A picture is shown above on the bottom.

Africa

Our third stop on the field trip is Africa. Here we will see animals such as the Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Giraffes, and Monkeys.
As we walk through the exhibit you should notice that the Rhinoceroses, Hippopotamuses, and Giraffes, all live in the same type of habitat. All of them live in areas with water holes for cooling, trees for shade and scratching, and grassy land to eat and roam on. They all live in the same type of environment, but they all spend different amounts of time in different places. For example, the Hippos (shown on top left) spend much more time in the water than the rest of the animals, and the Giraffe (shown on top right) spends the most time on the land. There is a picture of 2 Rhinoceroses above on the bottom left walking around their home at the zoo.
Next we can look at the Monkeys high in the treetops. The treetop building is covered with long branches and tons of leaves to make a canopy that makes the animals feel even more at home. One example of the the monkeys in here are Debrazza Monkeys, which are dark gray with white coloring around their mouths and a little light gray on their head. The monkeys at the zoo eat fruits and vegetables which will help them grow to be anywhere from 9-11.5 pounds. A picture of a monkey is shown above on the bottom right.

Asian Elephants

The Asian Elephants Exhibit will be our fourth stop. This includes the Six elephants housed here, the Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum, and looking at the elephant's habitat. First we will learn about the six elephants themselves. Elephants are very large creatures ranging from 6,000 to 14,000 pounds and 7 to 12 feet. We can see that they are gray with a long trunk and very large feet to hold all of their weight. Tusks are something that only some males produce. They have pretty sharp teeth which are like many plates build up next to each other, and they have 4 molars. Elephants usually live about 45 years and they eat mostly hay and grain at the zoo. In an elephants native land they would live in both the jungle and a grassy field. The picture above on the left is of an elephant at the Portland Zoo playing with a log.
Now that we know a little about the elephants at the zoo, we can head into the Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Exhibit, which is shown above on the right. This museum came about in 1985 and features ivory objects, models of ceremonial elephants, and information on the elephants kept at the zoo. Hinduism and Buddhism both consider the elephant to be a sacred creature so there are stories in this museum that tell about how the elephant became so sacred. Also, The museum is in the shape of a circle and the in the middle is a huge elephant skeleton.
Now let's see the habitat at the Portland Zoo that the elephants live in! These six elephants are taken care of in a 50,670 square foot area. Here there is a front and back yard, both filled with trees, logs, sand pits, water holes, and grass land. There is also an indoor barn for them as well which has 6 different rooms. A large amount of area is definitely needed to house such large animals.

Primates

The Fifth stop we will make is at the Primates. This exhibit was built in 1959, and as you can probably see, it is surrounded by only glass, instead of both, glass and fencing. This is because humans are primates too so we can easily pass on diseases to the primates at the zoo. But, there is still a very clear view of them through the glass. There are outside playgrounds for the primates to climb on, huge trees to swing from, water to play in, and grass to walk in. The grassy land lets the primates have room to be on their own and their environment is kept right around 70 degrees. There is also holding rooms for each species of the primates. There are 25 primates in this exhibit and there are all different kinds such as Chimpanzees, White-Cheeked Gibbons, Francois Monkeys, and Orangutans. As you can see in the picture above, there are also landings built into the trees at the zoo for the primates to climb on and sit on.

Island Pigs of Asia

The Island Pigs of Asia Exhibit is the the sixth stop on our trip! This exhibit isn't very large, but it is out on its own so there is no reason why we can't check it out! This exhibit holds both, Visayan Warty Pigs and Babirusa Pigs. First we can look at the Visayan Warty Pigs from the forests of the Philippine Islands. These pigs have a crazy mohawks and a lot of warts on their faces, which you can see in the picture above on the right. There isn't a lot known about this type of pig but they seem to be very friendly. Their habitat at the zoo includes bamboo and a sawdust covered ground and they normally eat fruits, vegetables, tubers, and roots.
Now for the Babirusa Pigs shown above on the left. These pigs sometimes are mistaken for hippos and deer, but they are actually linked to the hippo family. They are gray with wrinkled skin and don't have any hair. The males also have tusks. These pigs eat fruits and nuts mostly because their tusks prevent them from digging up roots, and they live in the wet forests of the Islands of Indonesia.

Train Ride

Our last stop on our field trip will be at the train ride. This fun adventure will be a good ending to our day! The train is able to take us completely around the zoo. The two main trains are called The Oregon Steam Locomotive, and The Zooliner. These trains look quite different from each other but will both give you some amazing sights with the Portland Zoo. The Oregon Steam Locomotive is shown above on the top and The Zooliner is above on the bottom. There is a small fee to ride on these trains that varies by your age, but it is definitely worth the money. The trains are open from May through November on certain days and they travel along the outskirts of the zoo in a 1 mile route.

Materials Referenced

All of the materials referenced are in the same order as the field trip stops.

1. Oregon Zoo. Our Exhibits. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/main.htm

2. Oregon Zoo. Zoo Facts. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/AboutZoo/justthefacts.htm

3. Oregon Zoo. The Great Northwest Exhibit. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/GreatNW/main.htm

4. Oregon Zoo. Cougar Crossing Exhibit. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/GreatNW/CougarCrossing/index.htm

5. Oregon Zoo. Bear Exhibit. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/bears.htm

6. Oregon Zoo. Lorikeet Landing. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/lories.htm

7. Oregon Zoo. Penguinarium. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/penguin.htm

8. Oregon Zoo. Africa Savanna Exhibit. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/afsavanna.htm

9. Oregon Zoo. Debrazza’s Monkey. 2005. 30 Oct. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/Savanna/monkey.debrazzas.htm

10. Oregon Zoo. Oregon Zoo Elephant Exhibit. 2005. 29 Oct. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/Elephants/elephant_exhibit.htm

11. Oregon Zoo. Elephant Museum. 2005. 29 Oct. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/Elephants/elephant.museum.htm

12. Oregon Zoo. Asian Elephant. 2005. 29 Oct. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/Elephants/elephant.asian.htm

13. Oregon Zoo. Primate Exhibit. 2005. 29 Oct. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/primate.htm

14. Oregon Zoo. Island Pigs of Asia. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/pigs.htm

15. Oregon Zoo. Washington Park and Zoo Railway. 2005. 1 Nov. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/AboutZoo/train.htm

16. Oregon Zoo. Africa Savanna Exhibit. 2005. 1 Dec. 2008. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/afsavanna.htm