Oregon Zoo

File:Visitors at Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, circa 1909 (AL+CA 1788).jpg

The Oregon Zoo was founded in 1888,{{cite web | url=http://www.oregonzoo.org/about/about-oregon-zoo/history | title=History [of Oregon Zoo] | publisher=Oregon Zoo | access-date=April 11, 2012 | archive-date=April 20, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420061452/http://www.oregonzoo.org/about/about-oregon-zoo/history | url-status=dead }} making it the oldest North American zoo west of the Mississippi.{{cite web | url=http://www.oregonzoo.org/about/thanks-you-better-zoo/you-and-new-zoo/birth-bond | title=The birth of the bond | publisher=Oregon Zoo | access-date=April 11, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519092524/http://www.oregonzoo.org/about/thanks-you-better-zoo/you-and-new-zoo/birth-bond | archive-date=May 19, 2012 | url-status=dead }} It all began with two bears purchased by Richard Knight – one brown bear and one grizzly.Goodall, Mary (March 16, 1958). "‘Patron Saint’ of Portland's Zoo Collected Animals, Birds at Drug Store Near Waterfront". The Sunday Oregonian, p. 41."More Attractions for the Menagerie: Two Bears to be Added to the Free Show on Morrison Street". The Morning Oregonian, May 17, 1888, p. 8. A former seaman turned pharmacist, Knight began collecting animals from his seafaring friends. He kept his collection in the back of his drug store on Third & Morrison streets. When caring for the animals became too large a responsibility he sought to sell them to the city of Portland. Instead of buying the animals, the city offered to give Knight two circus cages and allowed him to place the caged bears on the grounds of City Park (now called Washington Park).

Care and feeding of the bears, however, still fell to the Knight family and friends. It was not long before Knight addressed the city council again regarding the bears. Just five months later, he offered to donate the bears, along with their cages, to the city. Portland City Council accepted his offer on November 7, 1888, and thus began the Portland Zoo. Located in Washington Park, it was sometimes referred to as the Washington Park Zoo."Dock Boss Finds Office Occupied by Young Deer: Washington Park Zoo in Line for Another Pet, but Loses Out by Very Narrowest of Margins". The Morning Oregonian, June 28, 1928, p. 16."Zoo contest prize taken by old name." The Oregonian, October 2, 1976, p. 1.

By 1894, there were over 300 animals in the zoo’s collection. In 1925, the zoo moved to the site of the present Portland Japanese Garden, still within Washington Park.

The zoo moved again in 1958–59 to its current site, designed by Lawrence, Tucker & Wallmann.{{cite book | last=Snyder | first=Eugene E. | title=Portland Potpourri | publisher=Binford & Mort | location=Portland, Oregon | year=1991 | pages=73–79 | isbn=0-8323-0493-X }} This was located in Hoyt Park, west of Washington Park,Holm, Don (April 12, 1964). "Pittock Estate Needed to Complete Wondrous Park System". The Oregonian, pp. 40–41. but some years later the two parks were combined as Washington Park. At this time, the Portland Zoo Railway was constructed to connect the zoo to its former site in Washington Park and other attractions there. The zoo's move to the new, much larger site was made in stages, over more than a year, with the first animals being moved in spring 1958 and limited public access being opened in June 1958, one day after the first section of the Zoo Railway opened."Many See Zoo, Train". The Oregonian, June 9, 1958, p. 15. During the transition period the new zoo was only open on weekends, as most animals were still at the old site awaiting completion of their new enclosures."Russian Bears Inspect New Home at Zoo". The Oregonian, August 8, 1958, p. 26. However, the new railway operated six days a week until mid-September. Meanwhile, the old zoo remained in operation, but in May 1959 was restricted to pedestrian access only, closed to automobile access, for its last months of operation."Zoo Opening Pushed Back 2 to 4 Weeks". The Oregonian, May 27, 1959, p. 1.

File:The Continuity of Life Forms mosaic.jpg

The zoo at its current site opened on July 3, 1959.Richards, Leverett G. (July 4, 1959). "Joy Reigns Supreme at West Hills Zoo As Wonders of New Park Are Unveiled". The Oregonian, p. 1. It was renamed the Portland Zoological Gardens at that time, but remained commonly known as the Portland Zoo. The elephants and big cats were not moved to the new zoo until November."Balky Elephants Moved By Force to New Home". The Oregonian, November 4, 1959, p. 14."Move to New Zoo Set for Big Cats". The Oregonian, November 10, 1959, p. 19. A new interchange was constructed on the adjacent freeway, the Sunset Highway, for better access to the new zoo."Road to Open to New Zoo". The Oregonian, October 10, 1959, p. 5.

The zoo rose it popularity locally in 1953, when Rosy the Asian elephant was acquired. The zoo became world-famous in 1962 when the Asian elephant "Packy" was born. He was the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years and was (as of 2010) the tallest Asian elephant in the United States at 10.5 ft (3.2 m) tall. A total of 28 more calves have been born at the Oregon Zoo, including seven sired by Packy (two of which, Shine and Rama, remained at the zoo), making it the most successful zoo elephant breeding program in the world. On August 23, 2008, Rose-Tu, the granddaughter of the zoo's first elephant Rosy, gave birth to a son named Samudra. The birth made Samudra the first third-generation captive-born elephant in North America.{{cite news |title=Free the elephants! Problems plague the Oregon Zoo's pachyderms |url=http://www.wweek.com/story.php?story=3107 |newspaper=Willamette Week |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050217164242/http://wweek.com/story.php?story=3107 |archive-date=2005-02-17 }}

Attendance in 1962, the year Packy was born, was 1.2 million people.{{cite news|last=Richards|first=Leverett|title=New director predicts bright spring look for Portland Zoo|work=The Oregonian|date=March 25, 1976|page=A21}} Over the next several years, the number of animals declined, from 450 (representing 150 species) in 1962 to 386 (representing 123 species) in 1976, and annual attendance also declining over the same period, reaching its lowest point in 1975, with 448,198 visitors.

On February 9, 2017, Oregon Zoo staff decided to euthanize Packy after a long struggle with drug-resistant tuberculosis. He was laid to rest at an unidentified city-owned "wooded, grassy area" that is not open to the public.{{cite news | url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/02/oregon_zoo_employees_visitors.html | title=Oregon Zoo employees, visitors mourn death of Packy, Portland's 54-year-old elephant | first=Lizzie | last=Acker | date=February 9, 2017 | newspaper=The Oregonian | access-date=9 February 2017 | archive-date=26 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075843/http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/02/oregon_zoo_employees_visitors.html | url-status=live }}

File:Zooliner train - Washington Park & Zoo Railway, cropped.jpg Zooliner train.]]

Until 1971, the zoo was operated by the City, and then by the Portland Zoological Society under contract to the City.Sullivan, Ann (July 2, 1971). "Zoo's new director stresses education". The Oregonian, p. 26."Change at zoo". The Oregonian, October 21, 1978, p. A22. Editorial. In 1976, area voters approved a tax levy plan under which the zoo was taken over by the Metropolitan Service District (or MSD, now known as Metro)."Zoo plans expansion following levy approval". The Oregonian, May 27, 1976, p. C3. Ownership of the zoo passed to Metro on July 1, 1976. Metro has continued expansion projects, aided by donors, sponsors and volunteers.

Later in 1976, MSD renamed the zoo the Washington Park Zoo after a naming contest. The railway was renamed the Washington Park and Zoo Railway two years later. The decline in attendance seen in the 1960s and 1970s eventually began to reverse, and the zoo recorded 752,632 visitors in 1984 and 897,189 in 1986.{{cite news|last=Federman|first=Stan|title=Zoo year 2nd-best at gate|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=January 7, 1987|page=B2}}

File:Oregon Zoo Veterinary Medical Center - Portland, Oregon.jpg

The Metro Council changed the zoo's name from the Washington Park Zoo to the Oregon Zoo in April 1998. In September of that year, the zoo became accessible by the region's MAX light rail system, with the opening of a Westside MAX line featuring an underground Washington Park station."Go west, young MAX" (September 9, 1998). The Oregonian (special section). In 2003, the zoo began participation in a California condor recovery program started by San Diego Wild Animal Park and Los Angeles Zoo. The program is designed to breed California condors to be released into the wild and save them from extinction.{{cite news|title=Condor egg could herald return of giant |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/04/03/condor.egg.ap/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=April 3, 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408053012/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/04/03/condor.egg.ap/index.html |archive-date=April 8, 2007 }}

In November 2008, regional voters approved a $125 million bond measure to improve infrastructure, enhance older exhibits and increase access to conservation education and the degree of sustainability.{{cite news | url=http://wichita.bizjournals.com/wichita/othercities/portland/stories/2008/11/17/story10.html | title=PCC, Zoo expect to face more robust bond market | last=Siemers | first=Erik | date=November 14, 2008 | newspaper=Portland Business Journal | access-date=2009-09-24}} Attendance at the zoo reached a record 1.6 million visitors for their 2008 to 2009 year.{{cite news | url=http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-1741-Oregon_Zoo%27s_Baby_Elephant_Helps_Smash_Attendance_Records | title=Oregon Zoo's Baby Elephant Helps Smash Attendance Records | last=LaMarche | first=Bill | date=July 1, 2009 | work=Zoo and Aquarium Visitor | access-date=2009-09-24 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217173258/http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-1741-Oregon_Zoo's_Baby_Elephant_Helps_Smash_Attendance_Records | archive-date=December 17, 2009 }} The record was due in part to the birth of another baby elephant. A new record was set the following year with 1,612,359 people visiting the zoo.{{cite news | url=http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/01/despite_economy_oregon_zoo_set.html | title=Despite economy, Oregon Zoo sets attendance record with more than 1.6 million visitors | first=Eric | last=Mortenson | date=January 7, 2010 | newspaper=The Oregonian | access-date=12 January 2010 | archive-date=15 January 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115061526/http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/01/despite_economy_oregon_zoo_set.html | url-status=live }} The zoo again brought in more than 1.7 million visitors in 2018.

File:Giraffe (15088839760).jpgPredators of the Serengeti, a $6.8 million exhibit which opened in September 2009, expanded the Africa Savanna {{convert|2.5|acre|m2}} into the site of the former Alaska Tundra exhibit which used to house: Muskoxen and Grizzly Bears.{{cite news | url=http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/09/the_zoos_68_million_exhibit_wh.html | title=The zoo's $6.8 million exhibit, which houses three lions, keeps the roar alive | last=Meunier | first=Andre | date=September 10, 2009 | newspaper=The Oregonian | access-date=2009-09-23 | archive-date=2009-10-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005015443/http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/09/the_zoos_68_million_exhibit_wh.html | url-status=live }} The zoo previously had lions, but closed the exhibit in 1998 to build Steller Cove. The three new lions come from zoos in California, Virginia and Wisconsin.

File:AmurLeopard.jpgThe exhibit formerly contained a pair of Amur leopards with a 19 year old male named Boris being one of the oldest Amur leopards in captivity. Boris was euthanized on October 10, 2018 {{Cite web|url = https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2018/10/elderly_amur_leopard_euthanize.html|title = Elderly Amur leopard euthanized at Oregon Zoo|date = 11 October 2018|access-date = 6 February 2019|archive-date = 7 February 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190207072359/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2018/10/elderly_amur_leopard_euthanize.html|url-status = live}}

File:Bald eagle at Oregon Zoo bird show.jpg (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) with a zookeeper at a live show.]]Black Bear Ridge has three black bears (two males and one female) added in April 2010 after the previous three had been euthanized for health reasons. Their names are Tuff, Dale, and Cubby.{{cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/three_black_bears_find_a_home.html |title=Three black bears find a home at the Oregon Zoo |last=Muldoon |first=Katy |date=April 29, 2010 |work=oregonlive.com |publisher=The Oregonian |access-date=29 April 2010 |archive-date=7 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607183010/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/three_black_bears_find_a_home.html |url-status=live}} A fourth, Takota, died in 2023 during a routine medical procedure.{{Citation |title=In Loving Memory Of Takoda |date=7 April 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTGwQZnO8CY |access-date=2023-04-07 |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408001235/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTGwQZnO8CY |url-status=live}}

The zoo housed the world's oldest Sumatran orangutan, Inji, who was humanely euthanized January 9, 2021 after keepers noticed her failing health.{{Cite web |last=Theen |first=Andrew |date=January 10, 2021 |title=Oregon Zoo euthanized Inji, perhaps the world's oldest orangutan |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/01/oregon-zoo-euthanized-inji-perhaps-the-worlds-oldest-orangutan.html |access-date=2021-03-29 |newspaper=The Oregonian |language=en |archive-date=2021-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125213443/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/01/oregon-zoo-euthanized-inji-perhaps-the-worlds-oldest-orangutan.html |url-status=live}}

Parking at the Oregon Zoo costs $2 per hour, to a maximum of $8 per day.{{cite web |url=http://explorewashingtonpark.org/parking |title=Explore Washington Park |publisher=Washington Park Transportation Management Association |access-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112024136/http://explorewashingtonpark.org/parking |url-status=live }} The Washington Park light rail station provides regional public transit access to the Oregon Zoo. TriMet bus route 63-Washington Park no longer serves the zoo via Washington Park as of summer 2022.{{cite web |url=http://www.trimet.org/schedules/r063.htm |title=Bus Line 63-Washington Park |publisher=TriMet |access-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-date=December 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204171221/http://trimet.org/schedules/r063.htm |url-status=live }}

The zoo features the Charles Frederic Swigert Jr. Memorial Fountain, an outdoor bronze and stone fountain and sculpture by American artist Richard Beyer, installed in 1983. It was donated by Christine Swigert in memory of her husband Charles F. Swigert Jr. The figure group depicts a man talking to a standing female child and several animals,{{Cite web |title=The Charles Frederic Swigert Jr. Memorial Fountain, (sculpture). |url=https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!324217~!0#focus |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=siris-artinventories.si.edu}} including an ape, a lion or cougar, a monkey, and a family of wolves (including a cub). The man is shown with a monkey behind him and a lion and wolf cub at his feet. The installation measures approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) x 20 feet (6.1 m) x 7 feet (2.1 m). The Oregonian has described the appearance of one of the wolves as "friendly". An accompanying plaque reads:

THE / CHARLES FREDERIC SWIGERT JR. / MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN / GIVEN BY CHRISTINE SWIGERT / IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND. / BESIDE THE WATER / LIFE AND THE WORLD CAN BE FOUND / I THINK OF A FRIEND / SCULPTURE BY RICH BEYER / DEDICATED ON AUGUST 1, 1983

File:Secretary Gale Norton inspecting bird from Oregon Zoo in Portland, during participation in Zoo-hosted event highlighting agreement for protecting four at-risk wildlife species in Or - DPLA - 61dbc43b299750b2eeb7076751395fea.jpg at a zoo event highlighting the conservation work of different condor species, with the Andean condor in view.]]

The Oregon Zoo collaborates with wildlife agencies and conservation organizations on recovery projects for imperiled species including California condors, western pond turtles, northern leopard frogs, Oregon silverspot butterflies and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenewsguard.com/news/oregon-zoo-welcomes-in-two-new-river-otters/article_8b84ece6-afd1-11e9-8e6c-3f1466834e6f.html|title=Oregon Zoo welcomes in two new river otters|date=July 28, 2019|work=The News Guard|archive-date=July 28, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728091509/https://www.thenewsguard.com/news/oregon-zoo-welcomes-in-two-new-river-otters/article_8b84ece6-afd1-11e9-8e6c-3f1466834e6f.html|url-status=live}} The zoo manages a community science project to monitor the American pika{{Cite news|date=February 21, 2020|title=Puzzling Pikas: The Gorge's little-known residents|work=KOIN|url=https://www.koin.com/news/animals/puzzling-pikas-the-gorges-little-known-residents/|archive-date=February 22, 2020|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222161732/https://www.koin.com/news/animals/puzzling-pikas-the-gorges-little-known-residents/|url-status=live}} and was the first zoo in the world to successfully breed critically endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits{{Cite news|date=May 12, 2016|title=Reviving endangered populations of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit|work=KATU|url=https://katu.com/news/local/reviving-endangered-populations-of-the-columbia-basin-pygmy-rabbit|archive-date=April 8, 2023|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408001714/https://katu.com/news/local/reviving-endangered-populations-of-the-columbia-basin-pygmy-rabbit|url-status=live}} and Oregon silverspot butterflies.{{Cite news|date=December 4, 2019|title=Oregon Zoo boasts first-ever breeding of endangered butterfly|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/12/oregon-zoo-boasts-first-ever-breeding-of-endangered-butterfly.html|archive-date=December 5, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205122610/https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/12/oregon-zoo-boasts-first-ever-breeding-of-endangered-butterfly.html|url-status=live}}

In 2012 the Oregon Zoo became the first zoo to draw blood samples from polar bears without the use of anesthesia,{{Cite news|date=January 10, 2019|title=Oregon Zoo makes a medical breakthrough with polar bears|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2012/09/oregon_zoo_makes_a_medical_bre.html|archive-date=August 25, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825081305/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2012/09/oregon_zoo_makes_a_medical_bre.html|url-status=live}} leading to the development of a groundbreaking polar bear conservation science program. The zoo has since partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey on polar bear diet,{{Cite web|date=April 20, 2016|title=How Climate Change Might Affect Polar Bears' Bodies|url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/how-climate-change-might-affect-polar-bears-bodies|website=USGS: Science for a Changing World|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027015821/https://www.usgs.gov/news/how-climate-change-might-affect-polar-bears-bodies|url-status=live}} energetics,{{Cite news|date=February 25, 2020|title=Shrinking sea ice is creating an ecological trap for polar bears|work=Science Daily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200225125025.htm|archive-date=February 26, 2020|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226234719/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200225125025.htm|url-status=live}} and movement studies.{{Cite news|date=July 31, 2013|title=Polar Bear's Collar Captures Video, Clues About Climate Change|work=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/polar-bears-collar-captures-captivating-video-clues-deal/story?id=19833412|archive-date=January 31, 2022|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131025958/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/polar-bears-collar-captures-captivating-video-clues-deal/story?id=19833412|url-status=live}} In Borneo, the zoo supports elephant conservation by funding two ranger positions, and partners with Malaysian and Indonesian organizations to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and improve animal welfare for elephants and orangutans.{{Cite news|last=Nathan|first=Sen|date=January 29, 2019|title=Removing Chendra from Oregon Zoo won't help her or Borneo elephants|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2018/10/opinion_removing_chendra_from.html|archive-date=May 28, 2022|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528170807/https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2018/10/opinion_removing_chendra_from.html|url-status=live}}

In 2001 the zoo joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s California Condor Recovery Program.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=F4F01E1F-9DB2-419E-B2583BBF9ED8F675|title=Oregon Zoo joins Fish and Wildlife Service's California condor captive breeding program|date=October 19, 2001|website=US Fish and Wildlife Service: Conserving the Nature of America}} California Condors are slow to reproduce, laying only one egg every one to two years.{{Cite web|date=March 20, 2020|title=Oregon Zoo Welcomes First California Condor Chick Of The Year|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-zoo-welcomes-first-california-condor-chick-of-the-year/|website=OPB|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917024444/https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-zoo-welcomes-first-california-condor-chick-of-the-year/|url-status=live}} In 2003 the first six condor breeding pairs were brought to the zoo's 52-acre Johnsson Center for Wildlife Conservation. As of 2019, 79 chicks have hatched, 56 Oregon Zoo-reared birds have gone out to field pens for release, and over 50 have been released into the wild.{{Cite news|url=https://katu.com/news/local/officials-tout-plan-to-bring-california-condors-back-to-pacific-northwest|title=Officials tout plan to bring California condors back to Pacific Northwest|date=May 7, 2019|work=KATU|archive-date=May 8, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508161823/https://katu.com/news/local/officials-tout-plan-to-bring-california-condors-back-to-pacific-northwest|url-status=live}}

The zoo also manages community-based conservation education efforts, including the Non-Lead Hunting Education Program, to protect condors and other wildlife from lead poisoning, the greatest cause of wild condor mortality. Ingesting carcasses riddled with toxic lead fragments results in approximately 50 percent of known causes of condor deaths since 1992.{{Cite news|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/endangered-species-act-condors-vultures-oregon-zoo/|title=Proposed Changes To ESA Could Have Consequences For Condors|date=September 7, 2018|work=OPB News|archive-date=August 8, 2020|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808014114/https://www.opb.org/news/article/endangered-species-act-condors-vultures-oregon-zoo/|url-status=live}}

From 1998 to 2012 the zoo partnered on a recovery effort for endangered Oregon spotted frogs, a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act,{{Cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2013/01/oregon_zoo_researcher_works_to.html|title=Oregon Zoo researcher works to unravel the mystery of the Superfrog|date=January 10, 2019|work=The Oregonian|archive-date=January 27, 2022|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127125021/https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2013/01/oregon_zoo_researcher_works_to.html|url-status=live}} and currently collaborates on a head-start and release program for northern leopard frogs.{{Cite web|url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/federal-and-state-wildlife-agency-partnership-aims-rebound-endangered-northern-leopard-frogs|title=Federal and State wildlife agency partnership aims for rebound of endangered Northern Leopard Frogs in Washington|date=August 13, 2019|website=Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-date=November 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121000740/https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/federal-and-state-wildlife-agency-partnership-aims-rebound-endangered-northern-leopard-frogs|url-status=live}} Frog eggs are collected and hatched at the Oregon Zoo or the Cedar Creek Correction Center, which has partnered with the zoo since 2009.{{Cite web|date=April 20, 2010|title=Frog Project Receives Grant from Oregon Zoo Foundation|url=http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/blog/2010/04/20/frog-project-receives-grant-from-oregon-zoo-foundation/|website=Sustainability in Prisons Project|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917024440/http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/blog/2010/04/20/frog-project-receives-grant-from-oregon-zoo-foundation/|url-status=live}} Juvenile frogs are then released into the wild, with a goal of creating a self-sustaining population. The captive rearing project works in collaboration with regional zoos and aquariums to save Pacific Northwest frog species imperiled by loss of habitat, invasive predators and the deadly chytrid fungus, which has quickly spread from Africa to threaten amphibian populations worldwide.{{Cite news|date=September 17, 2009|title=Oregon Zoo releases endangered frogs into the wild|work=KGW8|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/entertainment/oregon-zoo-releases-endangered-frogs-into-the-wild/283-90296114|archive-date=September 17, 2021|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917024444/https://www.kgw.com/article/entertainment/oregon-zoo-releases-endangered-frogs-into-the-wild/283-90296114|url-status=live}}

The Oregon Zoo's Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project has helped establish two new western pond turtle populations in the Columbia River Gorge, where invasive bullfrogs have driven the tiny species to the brink of extinction.{{Cite news|date=December 6, 2019|title=Oregon Zoo's effort to repopulate western pond turtles|work=KGW8|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/animal/oregon-zoo-western-pond-turtles/283-777eeea2-bc85-431e-9c84-e1694e32b2bf|archive-date=December 7, 2019|access-date=March 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207162746/https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/animal/oregon-zoo-western-pond-turtles/283-777eeea2-bc85-431e-9c84-e1694e32b2bf|url-status=live}} Infant pond turtles are collected and raised in the project lab at the zoo until they large enough to be safely released back into the wild. More than 1,500 turtles have been released in the Columbia Gorge since 1990, with a 95 percent annual survival rate.{{Cite news|date=July 31, 2020|title=Oregon Zoo releases 23 endangered turtles into Gorge|work=KOIN 6|url=https://www.koin.com/news/animals/oregon-zoo-releases-23-endangered-turtles-into-gorge/|access-date=}}

In 1999, at the request of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oregon Zoo joined with Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo in an Oregon silverspot butterfly captive rearing program to save a species once found from California to British Columbia and now reduced to five isolated populations.{{Cite web|title=Oregon Silverspot Butterfly|url=https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489459|website=Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office|access-date=2021-09-17|archive-date=2021-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917205348/https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489459|url-status=live}} Around 2,000 butterflies have been raised from larvae and released each year at the Oregon coast. For this work the two zoos were jointly awarded the 2012 AZA North American Conservation Award.{{Cite web|title=North American Conservation Award|url=https://www.aza.org/north-american-conservation-award?locale=en|website=Association of American Zoos and Aquariums|access-date=2021-09-17|archive-date=2021-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917205357/https://www.aza.org/north-american-conservation-award?locale=en|url-status=live}} In 2019, the Oregon Zoo successfully bred a captive silverspot butterfly for the first time in the world, producing in 269 viable offspring.{{Cite news|date=December 4, 2019|title=Oregon Zoo breeds rare silverspot butterfly in captivity|work=KGW 8|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/animal/oregon-zoo-silverspot-butterfly/283-9d74ee22-3010-44c3-a13b-560cb0a80650|archive-date=September 17, 2021|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917205348/https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/animal/oregon-zoo-silverspot-butterfly/283-9d74ee22-3010-44c3-a13b-560cb0a80650|url-status=live}}

Additionally, the zoo has partnered with the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility to train inmates who volunteer to help raise and care for the critically endangered Taylor's butterfly.{{Cite news|date=April 1, 2020|title=Coffee Creek inmates help raise nearly 750 endangered butterflies|work=Fox 12 Oregon|url=https://www.kptv.com/news/coffee-creek-inmates-help-raise-nearly-750-endangered-butterflies/article_fa159596-7440-11ea-8fe0-77d8ef153f19.html}} Habitat degradation due to invasive species, urban development and agriculture have reduced the Taylor's checkerspots' native habitat by 99 percent. The Taylor's checkerspot captive rearing project has raised and released over 28,000 butterflies.{{Cite news|date=March 9, 2019|title=The Oregon Zoo Plans to Release a Record Number of Endangered Butterflies Into the Wild This Month|work=Willamette Week|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/03/09/the-oregon-zoo-plans-to-release-a-record-number-of-endangered-butterflies-into-the-wild-this-month/|archive-date=September 17, 2021|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917205356/https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/03/09/the-oregon-zoo-plans-to-release-a-record-number-of-endangered-butterflies-into-the-wild-this-month/|url-status=live}}

Oregon Zoo’s Care and Conservation of Borneo Elephants program supports projects in Sabah, Malaysia, to reduce human-wildlife conflict, create safe travel corridors for elephants and other wildlife in degraded landscapes and provide care for injured or orphaned elephants.{{Cite news|date=7 November 2018|title=Zoo teams up with wildlife rangers to help elephants in Borneo|work=Zoo News|url=https://www.oregonzoo.org/news/2018/11/zoo-teams-wildlife-rangers-help-elephants-borneo|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115200422/https://www.oregonzoo.org/news/2018/11/zoo-teams-wildlife-rangers-help-elephants-borneo|url-status=live}} The Zoo partners with Seratu Aatai to promote co-existence between people and elephants through research and educational outreach to local communities, government agencies, the palm oil industry and academics.{{Cite news|date=27 January 2021|title=Living together with elephants: A Q&A with Farina Othman|work=Zoo News|url=https://www.oregonzoo.org/news/2021/01/living-together-elephants-qa-farina-othman|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115200422/https://www.oregonzoo.org/news/2021/01/living-together-elephants-qa-farina-othman|url-status=live}}

In 2015 the Woodland Park Zoo, Houston Zoo, Oregon Zoo and HUTAN-KOCP founded the “Borneo Elephant Zoo Alliance” with the goal of ensuring long-term survival of the Bornean elephant in the wild.{{Cite web|date=21 January 2016|title=Borneo's elephants get a helping hand from new zoo alliance|url=https://blog.zoo.org/2016/01/borneos-elephants-get-helping-hand-from.html|website=Woodland Park Zoo Blog|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115200413/https://blog.zoo.org/2016/01/borneos-elephants-get-helping-hand-from.html|url-status=live}} The alliance focuses on enhancing scientific knowledge of elephant ecology and conservation status and reducing human-animal conflict in the Kinabatangan River area through community outreach, public policy, and use of technology. In recent years, Oregon Zoo’s work with HUTAN-KOCP has focused primarily on forest preservation and reforestation for the benefit of both elephants and orangutans.{{Cite web|title=Hutan: About Us|url=https://www.hutan.org.my/about-us/|access-date=15 November 2021|website=Hutan|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115200413/https://www.hutan.org.my/about-us/|url-status=live}}

On July 4, 1970, three intoxicated men broke into the zoo at night. One of them was killed by the zoo's two lions while he was showing off by lowering himself into their enclosure. The next night, one of the men broke into the zoo again and shot both of the lions to death.{{cite web|url=http://pamplinmedia.com/component/content/article?id=120763|title=Ken Bowers can't escape this dream|publisher=Portland Tribune|date=13 May 2015|access-date=2018-01-01|archive-date=2018-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103074106/http://pamplinmedia.com/component/content/article?id=120763|url-status=live}} The incident stirred a public outcry against the men, including the victim of the mauling{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-saga-of-a-man-two-lions-and-a-freak-accident-that-1719371362|title=The Saga of a Man, Two Lions, and a Freak Accident That Got Freakier|publisher=Gizmodo|date=22 July 2015|access-date=2018-01-02|archive-date=2018-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072608/https://gizmodo.com/the-saga-of-a-man-two-lions-and-a-freak-accident-that-1719371362|url-status=live}} and sparked a wave of donations to replace the lions.{{cite web|url=https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2010/4/20/portland-history-1970-0510|title=Spirit of '70|publisher=Portland Monthly|date=20 April 2010|access-date=2018-01-02|archive-date=2018-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011712/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2010/4/20/portland-history-1970-0510|url-status=live}}

In April 2000, Rose-Tu, a female elephant born at the zoo, was severely abused by her handler, resulting in 176 lacerations including puncture wounds allegedly due to the handler attempting to shove a bullhook into her anus. It was speculated that the trauma suffered by her as a result of this experience may have compromised her ability to raise calves.{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/09/the_lesson_of_rosetu_and_her_c.html|title=The lesson of Rose-Tu and her calf|date=29 September 2008|publisher=Oregonian|access-date=2014-10-19|archive-date=2015-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924141900/http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/09/the_lesson_of_rosetu_and_her_c.html|url-status=live}} The handler was dismissed by the zoo and sentenced to two years probation and 120 hours of community service, the most severe punishment allowed by state laws at the time. As fallout from this incident, Animal Legal Defense Fund authored the Rose-Tu law, signed by Governor John Kitzhaber in 2001.{{cite web|url=http://aldf.org/resources/laws-cases/honoring-animal-victims-landmarks-in-legislation|title=Honoring Animal Victims: Landmarks in Legislation|publisher=ALDF|access-date=2014-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013020118/http://aldf.org/resources/laws-cases/honoring-animal-victims-landmarks-in-legislation/|archive-date=2014-10-13|url-status=dead}} The law made Oregon the first U.S. state to legally recognize the link between animal abuse and violence toward people, and increased the penalties for animal abuse.{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/167.320|title=ORS 167.320|publisher=OregonLaws.org|access-date=2014-12-23|archive-date=2014-12-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224032300/http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/167.320|url-status=live}}

In December 2012, the Seattle Times brought to light that the new-born elephant Lily, sired by Tusko, a bull elephant on loan from the elephant rental company Have Trunk Will Travel, was contracted to be owned by the private company.{{cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/portlands-baby-elephant-belongs-to-traveling-show/|title=Portland's baby elephant belongs to traveling show|publisher=Seattle Times|date=4 December 2012|access-date=2018-01-02}} After widespread public outcry, the zoo raised funds to acquire both Tusko and Lily from Have Trunk Will Travel for $400,000 in February 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/02/oregon_zoo_pays_400000_for_ele.html|title=Oregon Zoo pays $400,000 for elephants Lily and Tusko|publisher=Oregonian|date=8 February 2013|access-date=2014-04-22}}

In May 2014, then-director Kim Smith and lead veterinarian Dr. Mitch Finnegan were dismissed by Metro, the agency governing the Zoo, over alleged lapses in protocols following the death of Kutai, a 20-year-old orangutan, during surgery.{{Cite news|date=May 8, 2014|title=Metro: Dismissals at Oregon Zoo related to death of orangutan|work=KATU News|url=https://katu.com/news/local/metro-dismissals-at-oregon-zoo-related-to-death-of-orangutan-11-19-2015|access-date=October 30, 2020}} After the Zoo protested the veterinarian's termination at Metro Council, he was rehired in July.{{cite web|date=10 January 2019|title=Oregon Zoo brings back veterinarian fired over death of orangutan|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/07/oregon_zoo_brings_back_veterin.html|access-date=30 October 2020|website=The Oregonian}}

In June 2014, six tamarin monkeys died two days after arriving at the zoo from Harvard's New England Primate Research Center. The incident, along with previous primate deaths in Massachusetts, prompted a USDA investigation of the Harvard center that had transported the monkeys.{{Cite news|date=11 April 2015|title=US probes Harvard primate facility|work=Boston Globe|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/10/harvard-primate-center-under-investigation-for-deaths-shipped-monkeys/gSbwyj1vmedS14PwUij4gJ/story.html|access-date=30 October 2020|archive-date=3 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103170015/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/10/harvard-primate-center-under-investigation-for-deaths-shipped-monkeys/gSbwyj1vmedS14PwUij4gJ/story.html|url-status=live}}

• The Continuity of Life Forms, a mosaic by Portland architect and artist Willard Martin that was originally installed at the former entrance to the zoo in 1959, and was re-installed outside of the zoo's new education center in July 2016.

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